No Memories?
by WhimsiMimsi
Summary: Harley was kidnapped 3 years ago by the Decepticons and had her memory erased. Now she believes that the Decepticons are her only family. What happens when she's sent to find her only living relative and take down NEST to have her heart interfere?
1. Mission

**A/N: Alrighty! I had a spur-of-the-moment idea and _had _to put it down! You guys keep asking for an Optimus story, so here you go :) and don't worry, I'll continue with my Bee story of course ;P It's two in the morning now so if its a little mussed up, please don't be _to _angry xD Here's chapter 1 for 'No Memories?' for you guys!**

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><p><span>Chapter 1: Mission?<span>

"Starscream!" The massive robot roared angrily. He tapped an impatient finger on his throne, waiting for the servant to stumble in. The massive doors opened and in came his servant into his throne room. It was a massive space, darkly lit and several chords of cables hung from the ceiling towards the ground. Three massive cables ran the length of the room and plugged into the back of the throne, a recharge station of ultimate power. The servant clumsily made his way up to the throne with the angry bot.

"Y-you called, my Master?" The said robot kneeled before him. Getting up, the original robot circled around his servant who he called Starscream.

"You've failed me, yet _again_!" Starscream flinched from the pitch of his Master's voice. His Master reached down and pulled his helm up, resulting a cry from emitting his vocal processers.

"Y-yes, Master, b-but I did retrieve the girl!" He tried to think of an excuse to get himself out of this situation. His Master snarled and released his helm, throwing it down towards the ground forcefully.

"The girl doesn't concern me! She is loyal and completes her missions, unlike you!" His Master walked back up towards his throne and sat down, pressing a button on the side, "Harley!"

Starscream still knelt before his master, waiting for the girl to enter. The large doors opened once more and in walked a small fleshling. She was about 5 foot, 7 and tan. Her hair was black and choppy, it was cut assymetrically with chunks of red, blue, and green in it. Today she wore a black tank top and cargo pants with boots on towards the bottom. She walked with a fast pace up to the large bots. Stopping next to Starscream, she bowed once to the bot on the throne and then crossed her arms.

"You called?" Her voice was sharp and she displayed annoyance. The bot on the throne chuckled darkly and let down a hand. Climbing onto it, she waited until he lifted her to his face, "Can I help you, Lord Megatron?"

"I need you to go on another mission," He watched amusedly at the fleshlings reaction. Her arms dropped to her sides and she slumped, groaning and throwing her head back.

"Do I _have _to? Can't you get Starscrap to do it?" She crossed her arms again, glaring angrily at the bot who was holding her.

"Hey!" Starscream angrily snapped, "My name is Starscream, _not _Starscrap!"

"Quiet, both of you!" Megatron boomed, both the fleshling and Starscream flinching, "Harley, this is a special mission for you and _only _you."

The fleshling smirked, liking where this was going, "Who do I get to destroy now?"

The bot chuckled, amused by her eagerness, "In time, my pet, in time."

He eased her down. He may not like fleshlings, but this one was special. He had picked her up nearly four years ago, just before he got destroyed by that wretched boy. Telling Starscream to get her someplace safe, he waited patiently in super-stasis until his recruits brought him back to life. Once he returned, he was happy to see everything went according to plan. Harley was related to someone who now worked for NEST, the same place his wretched brother and the Autobots were placed at, and he figured that he could use her to his advantage. At first, she was just a toy, but she proved useful. She was quick in hand-to-hand combat for humans and learned their language faster than anyone he had met, so she had a strong mental capacity. Her use for weapons was impeccable, able to fire off some of the more powerful weapons only Cybertronians could fire. She had definitely impressed him.

Hopping from his hand, she walked back towards Starscream's side and bowed once more. Then turning on her heel, she left. Starscream lifted his head, "Sire, if it's not to much to ask, what mission do you have in store for her?"

"Oh, Starscream," Megatron chuckled darkly, "Just the falling of my brother and the wretched Autobots of his."

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><p>Harley walked down the hallways quickly, sidestepping a few of the Decepticons and narrowly missed Sideways' foot.'<p>

"Hey, watch it, Harley!"

"You watch it, Sideways!"

We both glared at each other for a second before she made her way back down the hallway. Finally coming up on her bedroom door, Harley punched in the key to open it and walked in. The room was large (it was small for a Decepticon but worked for her) and dark. The cables had been removed upon her request and it made the room look even more decrepit (since they didn't even bother to cover up the holes in the wall). Walking up to her bed at the far coner of the room, she sighed and flopped down on it. Staring up at the ceiling, she thought about the Megatron had mentioned. What would he have her do? Assassinate someone? No, she just returned from one of those missions. If there was something Megatron hated, it was repitition. Maybe she had to steal something and she was just small enough to pass under the radar. No, Alice could do just as well as she. Harley was still debating about it when she heard a knock on her door.

"It's open," Sitting up, she was surprised to see Megatron enter. Getting up from her bed, she bowed, "My Lord. You are aware you don't need to knock, right?"

He held up a hand, "Don't even start, my pet."

It didn't even bother her anymore that he called her 'his pet'. He had started that at the beginning and she figured it was something he called her all her life. You see, she couldn't really remember anything up until a few years ago. Megatron had told her that she lived with them all her life but those nasty Autobots had captured her and tortured her, effectively erasing all of her memory. Shivering, she hated the word. _Autobot_. Megatron walked over to her bed and sat down next to it, seeing as he was almost to tall to fit in the room. Harley got back on her bed and sat cross-legged on it, looking up at her Lord.

"Is there anything you need, Lord Megatron?"

"Yes, there is my pet," He reached out with a finger and took a few strands of her hair between them, gently playing with her hair. Megatron never showed his soft side to anyone but her. Harley had somehow got under his hard exterior and to his Spark. He figured it was because he never had the chance to have a Sparkling of his own, Harley was probably as close as he was ever going to get. His Spark Mate was killed long ago on Cybertron and his Spark hadn't completely healed, "I'm going to send you on a special mission."

"What is it, my Lord?" She looked up into his optics almost innocently.

"As you can tell, you aren't like the rest of us," She nodded slowly, remaining quiet, "You have human relatives here on Earth."

"I don't mean to interrupt, Lord Megatron, but you said any relative of mine was dead."

"I thought so, but we've found one. He works in a place called NEST."

"If I may interrupt again, my Lord," He remained quiet, "What does this have to do with my mission?"

"Patience, my pet. His name is Gregory Pewitt. This place, NEST, is a secret military facility where special humans work with the Autobots."

A gnarly grin spread across his face when he heard the low growl emit from Harley. Drawing back his fingers, he could see the anger bubbling up in her.

"So, are they torturing him like they did me?" Watching in slight amusement, he watched her fists clench and her breathing get a slight bit heavier.

"I do not think so, my pet. I believe he's helping them."

She looked up in horror at him, "He's _what_?"

"Disgusting, I know. People think that _we're _the bad guys."

"Those people are idiots. It's the Autobots," She scoffed and crossed her arms, "If they had listened to you in the first place, your race would be thriving."

Megatron nodded thoughtfully, "True, but you wouldn't have met us."

Uncrossing her arms, Harley's forehead creased slightly, "Yeah, but..."

"But...?"

"I don't know," She sighed, defeated. If anyone of the Decepticons were watching the two, they'd be amazed. They have never seen their Lord so quiet and thoughtful nor their strongest fleshling so calm and understanding. They knew the connection they had, knowing Megatron would've treated her as if she were his Sparkling, but the behavior was just unnatural for the two of them! Megatron chuckled and mussed up her hair with a finger.

"Get your things packed, you'll leave within the hour. You will wander around town, purposely running into your uncle. He'll recognize you and want to take you in. You'll tell him a horrible story about how you came to be there and he'll want you to stay with him. You'll be our direct link to NEST, and our direct link to the Autobot's downfall."

Both he and he pet grinned devishly at the plot. Harley began to rub her hands together.

"Do I get to blow anything up?" This made Megatron laugh heartily.

"No, my pet, not yet," Her bottom lip tugged into a pout. He chuckled and stood up (well, half stood, half hunched), walking towards the giant door, "Pack quickly. Starscream will drop you off."

She nodded and hopped to her feet, scuttling to the small dresser she made Starscream retrieve. It was darkwood cherry and had a mirror on top. Grabbing every article of clothing she had (which really wasn't much), she packed it all into her backpack. Running a brush through her hair, she stuffed it into her bag as well. Looking through any compartments, Harley noticed the picture at the bottom of her drawer. It was of her and her parents when she was little. She couldn't remember the people in the picture at all but her Lord told her it was her parents. He told her that they were killed in the midst of battle (he told her that the battle was over her since the Autobots had kidnapped her) and had asked him to take her into their care. Her Lord graciously accepted their dying wish like the good Lord he was. A small smile graced her lips and she carefully packed the picture away. The man in the picture was tall and looked middle aged, his black hair showing signs of gray and the wrinkles on his face showed many years of smiling. His eyes were slightly sharpened at the tips, almond-shaped almost, and she figured that's where her slanted eyes came from. Her mom was pretty, her long blonde hair falling to her shoulders and her pretty blue eyes popping. Harley knew the black-haired baby in the picture was her. Her violet eyes were hard to miss. Megatron said it was an odd genetic thing, but she didn't know. Neither mom or dad had anything remotely close to violet. Shaking her head, Harley looked at her digital watch.

'_15 more minutes. Who can I torture?_' She thought to herself as she walked out of the room with her backpack on one shoulder. Walking towards the living quarters, she noticed a familiar figure, about her own height.

"Hey Alice," She gave her a nod which Alice returned. Alice was a Decepticon but had the ability to have a human appearance. Since she was going on a mission in a few weeks with her human skin, she decided to use it a lot around base.

"What's up, Harley? What's with the bag?" She tilted her head to the side, her blonde hair falling to the side.

"Lord Megatron is sending me on a mission and I need to kill 1o minutes," Harley shrugged, tossing her bag onto one of the ratty couches.

"I guess we could hang out for 1o minutes," A ghost of a smile played across Alice's features as did Harleys.

"I guess," She shrugged and sat on the couch. Alice walked up and sat down next to her. They talked for the next 1o minutes, not even bothering to notice the time until Starscream came in, obviously annoyed.

"If you two are done talking, I gotta get Harley to her destination before Megatron has my aft on a stick!" Harley snorted. She'd _loved _to see that. Getting up, she waved to Alice and grabbed her pack. Starscream left the room without another word and Harley silently followed. When they got to the runway, Starscream transformed into an F-22 Raptor and Harley climbed in. He took off and Harley began to chew on her bottom lip. What if the plan didn't work? What if they found her out?

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><p>It felt like forever until Starscream began to slow and landed in a forest. Harley hopped out with her pack and looked around.<p>

"You've _got _to be kidding me!" Harley looked up at the bot angrily, "We're in the middle of nowhere!"

Starscream shook his head and pointed his finger due northwest. She followed the direction his finger pointed in, "If you walk through that patch of trees, you'll come across a street. Then you'll make a left, due west, you'll hit another street. I believe it's called Cherry Tree. Turn right and follow it for a mile. It will take you to the city."

Harley nodded and recorded the information mentally. Starscream began to transform and she stepped back to avoid getting blasted by his turbines. He took off and she sighed, turning to the patch of trees he pointed at just a moment ago, hiking up her pack a little further, and walked towards them.

She had to fight tumbling over her own two feet and the thick underbrush, but she managed to get through the patch. There was a street there, like Starscream said, and she turned left onto it. Walking about half a mile up, Harley found the cross-street 'Cherry Tree' and turned onto it. Her feet began to hurt but she kept trudging until she saw the city limits sign. A relieved smile over came her and she kept hiking. The street had turned into a steep incline and she immediately regretted not asking her Lord if she could get new shoes. These ones were old and ragged, the soles worn and didn't give much to support her feet. Hissing every now and again whenever she stepped on a sharp rock, Harley finally made it to the top of the hill and was looking down at a city.

It was medium sized and looked like it had a few commercial buildings. She could make out a large high school on the far north end and a City Hall towards the center of the city. It looked mainly like a small business kind of city with a lot of residential area. Resetting her bag on her shoulder, Harley carefully picked her way down the road, which not only had a steep incline, it had a steep decline! At the base of the hill there was a kiosk there with a small parking lot next to it. Walking in, Harley heard a bell and walked to the front desk. An elderly woman sat there, with fine graying blonde hair and a plump face.

"Why, hello sweetie, how can I help you?" She had a sweet voice too!

"Uhm..." Harley hadn't anticipated talking to anyone before her uncle. Biting her lip a little, the woman sat there patiently, "C-could I get a map of the city?"

"A map? Certainly, honey!" The woman smiled and reached under her desk to retrieve a rectangular piece of paper that looked like it was folded repeatedly (which it probably was), "You new here?"

All Harley could do was nod and began to unfold the paper. The woman helped her and spent the next 3o minutes circling where everything important was with a red marker. The big supermarkets where in the Downtown district and there were four of them. There were several smaller farmer markets scattered around the city and she seemed to enjoy talking about those. The only major restaurant here was a Denny's and that was also in the Downtown district, but there were a lot of diners around the area. Thinking of food, Harley's stomach growled loudly.

"I'm almost done, Sweetie," The old woman laughed. She hurried along and circled the general large areas: City Hall, the Fire Department, the Police Department, the elementary and high schools, library and the military base. That had caught Harley's attention the most. Quickly folding the map, she gave the woman her thanks and made her way towards the door. When it was half-way open, the old woman called out, "Good luck, honey! Do you have enough money?"

Harley turned to the woman. Megatron had failed to mention the need for money. The old woman saw the distressed look on her face and ran to her office. Closing the door and returning to the desk, Harley wondered where the lady had gone. Returning with a wad of something in her hand, the old woman clasped one of Harley's hands in both of her small ones.

"Please, take this honey. I was in your position once and I wanted to keep the kindness I recieved going," Harley nodded but doubted the nice old lady was ever in her position. The woman removed her hands and Harley looked at the wad, gasping. There was close to $5oo in 2o's in her hand!

"I can't accept this, ma'am!" Harley looked disbelievingly at the old lady, who had reclaimed her spot behind her desk.

"I will not accept it, young lady. No go along, I have work to do," She winked. Harley stood there for a moment before turning slowly and opening the door again.

"Thank you!" She had never thanked anyone in her life, or ever since she had been with the Decepticons. They never said 'please' or 'thank you' so she didn't know where it came from. The old lady smile from behind the desk and Harley nodded. Walking back onto the road, she pulled out the map and looked at it. She thought the only way to start searching for her Uncle was to go for the obvious.

"Denny's, here I come," Her stomach growled loudly as she talked to herself.

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><p><strong>AN: whoo! First chapter and my fingers feel numb! :D YAY! not. :P sorry if Megatron is a bit OOC than he usually is, but i had him like that to try to capture a softer side to him that i _know _he has somewhere xDD**

**How do you like the story/plot so far? Constructive critism is definitely accepted :)**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


	2. Food

**a/n: Hey again :) i'm glad ya'll like the story so far. if you guys are wondering when this is, it's right before rotf. like a few months before. i know that mission city was only two years before it, but i stretched it out a bit in this. so it was closer to three- three and a half years :D enjoy x3**

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><p><span>Chapter 2: Food<span>

After a half an hour of getting lost three times and running into half a dozen people for directions, Harley finally set foot in the Denny's. Compared to some of the diners around town, this one was a lot larger by scale. It attracted the younger crowd and had a lot more people in it. Walking up to the person waiting boredly at the desk, she asked for a table. Following him around the noisy restaurant, the guy stopped short.

"Booth or table?"

"Excuse me?"

"Booth. Or. Table," He asked, annoyed.

"Oh, booth," Harley was a bit flustered. She didn't like in being in a confined space with a lot of other people. Decepticons, she could hold her own against, but people? Lets just say, she ain't the typical social butterfly. Looking at the menu already provided on the table, she began to wonder where to start on her mission. Denny's seemed like a good place to start at the time, but that was probably her hunger talking. Another person came up, a girl who looked about her age, with a bored expression on her face.

"Hello, welcome to Denny's. Can I interest you in todays specials?"

"Uh, no, that's okay," Sometimes Harley hated how quiet she was around other humans compared to her being around the Decepticons.

"Then what would you like to order?"

"Uhh, the Lumberjack special," The girl looked at her, surprised.

"Are you sure? Most people, including men three times your size, haven't even finished half of it."

"Yeah," Harley had a _huge _appetite, between the harsh training she got from Megatron and the hike to his base she usually had to make when she went into town to buy a small bag of groceries. When Splice had last checked her out, he told her that she required three times the normal calorie count of a normal human in every meal. Then again, he _was _the Decepticon med bot and a bit crazy. But he still was a medical personell. The girl shrugged and left with her order. Tapping her foot, Harley watched the people pass by outside. She didn't remember when the girl brought the water but she was grateful. Gulping about half of it in one swallow, she continued to watch the people, seeing if any of them were recognizable.

"H-Harley?" She turned at the mention of her name. There was a teenage boy standing there, about a year older than her. He had long-ish brown hair that covered his right eye and had a piercing in his lip. He wore dark clothing (A black band t-shirt and shredded red skinny jeans). His eyes were a deep chocolate brown and he looked a bit nervous, "Is it really you?"

"Yeah, it's me," She quirked an eyebrow, "And who the hell are you?"

The boys jaw dropped a bit. Turning, he waved a few people over. Over came two others, another guy and a girl. The girl looked two years younger where as the other boy looked a few years older than the other one. The girl had mid-back pale blonde hair and several streaks of rainbow colors. Her eyes were blue and her skin was pale and creamy, like a porcaline doll's. The other boy was taller than the other two and had jet black hair that was buzzed. He was tan and his eyes were slanted, like hers. He looked vaguely familiar. He wore a black tank top and cargo pants, just like she was. One look at her and his jaw dropped.

"Harley?" His voice was quiet but she could tell is slightly barotone. Rolling her eyes, she looked at the three.

"How many times are people going to say my name before ya'll get that I'm who you keep asking for?" She sighed exasperatedly. Then something unexpected happened. The girl had catapulted herself at Harley, latching on with a vice-like grip around her waist.

"HARLEY!"

The whole Denny's spared them a glance but then returned to whatever they were doing. They've had much crazier people. Harley looked up at the guys and pointed at the girl.

"What the hell?" The guys just shook their heads.

"She hasn't seen you in nearly four years, let Amelia have her moment," This caught the girls attention. She let go of Harley and sat up in the seat (since her tackle pushed Harley against the window in the booth), glaring at the guy with the buzzed hair.

"You know very well, Greg, to _not _call me Amelia!" Harley watched them, half amused. Wait, did she just say Greg? Harley listened more intently, "Call me Lia!"

Lia? The name rang a bell in her head somewhere but where she couldn't remember.

"Sorry, _Lia. _Even Tobias here likes his name," The guy Lia was just yelling at jerked a finger at the boy who quietly slid into the booth while the two were arguing, looking intently at Harley.

"What?" She snapped at him.

Shaking his head, he continued to look at her, "You've changed. Usually you're so bubbly. But then you disappeared. Where did you _go_?"

Harley had barely had the chance to think of a good lie to tell her uncle when she found him. _If _she found him would be a better inquiry. Liking her lips a little, a nervous habit she always had, she looked at the boy intently staring at her.

"I-... I don't know honestly. A-A few people took me in a few years ago after the battle and I've been with them ever since," She shrugged. Lia and the guy she was arguing with earlier quieted down and listened to her. The guy slid in next to Tobias and watched her intently just as Lia and Tobias were.

"Do you even remember the battle?" The guy across from her, Tobias, snapped a little. The other guy from earlier, Greg, placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No," Harley shook her head and her forehead creased severely, "I-I don't really remember anything before or during the battle. All I remember is waking up in a strange place and these people telling me that I was safe and that my parents had died during battle."

Her hands clenched slightly. She knew she couldn't tell them about the Decepticons. Megatron had warned her to not talk to anyone about any robot unless they worked for him or NEST, and when she was in NEST, to not tell anyone who she was working for. Greg looked sympathetically at her and reached across the table, grasping her right hand.

"I understand. A lot of soldiers go through that. They get so scared out of their wits that they get amnesia and can't remember anything before the battle and sometimes during the battle. I've lost many comrades to it."

Harley looked up at Greg and it pained her to feel like she knows him but can't remember for the life of her. Tobias and Lia all put their hands on top of Gregs and looked at Harley.

"We're here for you," Lia smiled.

"Yeah, we're your best friends. We've known each other since we were in diapers," Tobias smirked at Harley. A small smile quirked at her lips as she looked at everyone. Nodding slowly, her food arrived.

"One Lumberjack special," The waitress set the platter on the table. Tobias, Greg, and Lia all gasped as Harley pratically droolled. It had 1o flapjacks stacked in one corner, all about the size of a dinner plate, a dozen slabs of bacon, three patty sized sasuages and eggs that covered half the platter. Picking up her fork, she began to dig in. The three people at her booth stared at amazement as a crowd began to form around their booth. The people there had never seen anyone finish the Lumberjack special, let alone a girl as skinny and willowy as her! It took Harley a good 2o minutes, but she finished the platter. Once she set down the fork, the entire restaurant erupted in cheers, scaring the wits out of her. Blinking, she looked at the people at her booth.

"What did I do?"

"You finished the Lumberjack Special!" Lia laughed, amazed.

"No one's ever done that before!" Greg smiled, also amazed. After the crowd had calmed down, Harley looked at the people in her booth very seriously.

"Can you please tell me who you guys are? I feel like I know you but I... I just can't seem to remember!"

They all nodded.

"I'm Amelia Thompson. Call me Lia. We've been buds since third grade when you helped me against a flock of bullies," Lia smiled.

"I'm Tobias Waterson. Our family's have been friends since forever, so it's safe to say that I've known you our entire lives," Tobias nodded.

"And I'm Greg, your uncle," Greg smiled warmly.

'_Well, that was easier than I thought..._' Harley thought. Smiling at the group, she shrugged.

"I'm sorry that I can't recall any of you."

Lia waved a hand at her.

"Pssh, darling please!" She faked a heavy, drawled out accent. It made Harley laugh a little, "Tobias can't even remember what color underwear he's wearing!"

Tobias flushed a deep red and reached over to smack Lia upside the head, "I don't wear '_underwear_', I wear boxers."

Lia laughed boisterously, "Oh yeah, like sayin' that's any better!"

"Crap, you're right!" All three burst into laughter, a smile working it's way onto Harley's face. She rarely smiled, even with Megatron. But with these people, their antics just made her want to smile.

"There's my niece," Greg noticed the smile on her face. Harley flushed and looked down.

"Don't do that!" Lia grabbed her by the chin and lifted her face, "We wanna see that pretty face! We haven't seen it in nearly four years!"

Her face flushed a little and looked up at everyone. Her uncle had a warm smile on his face, Tobias looked a little uncomfortable, and Lia was just beaming.

"So!" Tobias said suddenly, "Do you have a place to stay?"

"Oh! Uh... uhm..." She scratched the back of her head nervously, "Not... not really. Heh."

The three stared at her in shock.

"So these people who took you in just _dropped you off_? With no means of shelter?" Her uncle asked angrily.

"No, no, no!" She raised her hands, "I... I ran away. I felt like I was a burden on them, so I left with what I could carry in this pack and whatever money I had."

Harley thought it was a viable excuse, and the three people seemed to buy it. Her uncle thought for a moment before standing up.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment," He smiled and pulled out a phone, walking away. Tobias and Lia turned to Harley.

"Dish," Lia propped her elbows up and placed her chin in the net she made with her fingers.

"Excuse me?"

"Tell us about your time with these people who picked you up after the battle," Tobias leaned in, obviously wanting to know.

"I-... I don't know much about them. They live a few hours from here in a rural area. It's mainly a woodland. They weren't home often, usually on business trips and whatnot, but they kept their kitchen stocked and I had the basic needs to survive," She shrugged. It was the complete opposite to the Decepticon base so she figured to go with what you know and do the exact opposite to it. Tobias and Lia nodded slowly. Before they could bombard her with more questions, her uncle walked up with a smile on his face.

"Harley, if you need a place to stay, I could provide one for you," Harley smiled. Her plan was going exactly the way she wanted it to. She heard Tobias gasp and saw Lia pale a little.

"They approved?" Tobias whispered harshly. Greg nodded.

"Since Harley was at the battle, they wanted to ask her some questions. But since her memory is gone, they're going to work on restoring it for now."

She quirked an eyebrow, "They can do that?"

Greg shrugged, "It's a new theory and so far, it's worked. I'm hoping it will work on you. We've all had so many wonderful memories with you and it makes me sad that you can't remember any of them."

A sudden pang hit her heart. It really did sadden her, for the first time in a while, that she couldn't remember her past. Her family. Her friends. Pursing her lips, all three people looked at her eagerly.

"Okay, okay," A small smile quirked her lips, "I'll go."

Lia cheered and her uncle clapped, but Tobias still looked uneasy. Lia slid out of the booth as well as Harley. She noticed that Lia was small. Around 5 feet, 5 foot 1. She was like a pixie. Lia laughed when she saw Harley look down at her.

"You used to call me 'Pixie'. You were the only one allowed to call me that. I always called you dinosaur," Harley quirked an eyebrow.

"Dinosaur?"

"Yep. Because whenever you sang, you always did a little 'Rawr' at the end," Lia did a cute imitation of a dinosaur pose, her elbows folded and her hands in slight fists, one higher than the other.

"I... sang?"

"Yep," Greg came up and slung his arm around her shoulder. She noticed he was a little taller than her. No wrinkles were on his face nor any indications of gray in his hair. He couldn't be any older than 25! "And you were pretty good at it as well."

She nodded thoughtfully. She never really sang around the Decepticons, but she did find herself humming to herself more often than not. Reaching into her pocket as they neared the check-out desk at the front of the Denny's, Harley's uncle's hand stopped her.

"Let me," Her eyebrow quirked up but eventually, she nodded. Lia pulled on her hand and out into the mid-morning air.

"So, you're going to live with me and Tobias!" Now both her eyebrows shot up.

"You live where?" Tobias smacked Lia on the back of the head.

"We live with your uncle on base," Tobias sighed, "Not many people know that people live there so Lia needs to keep her trap shut!"

So they were living on the base as her uncle? Perfect.

"Meanie! That hurt!" Lia stuck out her tongue like a five-year old. Tobias stuck his own tongue out, Harley saw that he had that pierced as well. Greg came out of the Denny's and stopped next to Harley.

"What are they going on about now?" He questioned with a sigh.

"Gre-e-eg!" Lia whined, "Tobias hit me!"

"She deserved it!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Nu-uh!"

Harley couldn't stand it any longer. A laugh erupted from her mouth. They were acting so childish! She hadn't had a good laugh in a while, if ever! She didn't know why it was so funny, but she just had the urge to laugh. The three people looked at her and then at each other before bursting into a loud laugh as well. It took a few minutes for them to calm down, Greg clapping a hand on her back.

"It's good to see the old Harley slowly coming back," He smiled and then straightened up. He walked towards a compact sedan. It was a silvery-grey and kind of sleek looking. It was shiny and brand new. Walking around the front, she looked at her uncle who had just opened the drivers side door. Lia and Tobias were conversing quietly a few feet away.

"A 2o1o Chevy Equinox? You can afford one of these?" Her uncle smirked from the open door.

"Still looks like you got your mechanical quirk," Her face flushed. Harley always liked working on mechanical things, so whenever one of the Decepticons got hurt, she'd go up with Splice and he'd slowly explain the part he was working on that day, "The military lets me use it whenever I go into town. Today, I came to pick up these two, but I guess you can squeeze in."

He winked and sat in the driver's seat. Harley climbed into the back of it and waited for Lia and Tobias. The car honked and they jumped, scuttling over to the car. Tobias called shotgun so he sat up with my uncle while Lia sat happily with Harley in the back. They conversed quietly about nothing on the way to the base. It was a good 25 minute drive around mountains, patches of forest, and a small lake. Eventually, the car came up on a check pointe. Harley's uncle got out his card and showed it to the people there. They scanned it and the blocker lifted. Slowly, her uncle passed over it and then sped up. More twists and turns! Harley began to get dizzy.

Finally, after 1o more minutes of babbling from Lia, they turned onto a secluded road and the forest began to thin. Harley gasped as soon as the hangar came into view. It was huge! And there were multiple ones! Definitely a place to hide, say, a thirty-foot robot or two?

There was a landing strip to the far east side and a small building straight across from the three largest hangars. Multiple military cars sped by but her uncle maneuvered through the throngs of them easily. Harley just gaped at the massive-ness of the entire base. It was a lot larger than the one of the Decepticons! When the car stopped, they all hopped out and Lia latched onto her arm.

"Okay, let me show you where we're going to be living!" She squeaked and dragged Harley off. Looking over her shoulder, she barely caught a glimpse of Tobias' worried face as he talked to her uncle. Turning back to the squeaking girl, she poked her in the shoulder.

"Slow down, Speedy Gonzalez! I can't move as fast as you!" She laughed and Lia slowed considerably, her face flushing slightly.

"Heh, sorry. I'm just so-o-o happy that you're finally back _and _you get to live with me, roomie!" She latched onto Harley's arm. Normally, she hated having anything clinging onto her, but something about Lia made her not mind.

'_Let's do this_.' She thought and squared her shoulders, following Lia to her new living quarters.

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><p><strong>an: woot! Chapter 2! :D and don't worry guys, i'm not neglecting my Bee story! i just need a little break from it. my muse is slowly starting to whittle down on that story. after working on this one for a day or two, I _promise _I'll continue to work on Bee's! :)**

**How do you think the Autobots will respond to Harley?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


	3. Newbie

**a/n: whoo! updated both stories in one day :D but bee sting is still falling a bit short . stupid 2nd movie with barely any character to it =_= anyways, i hope ya'll like chapter 3 :3**

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><p><span>Chapter 3: Newbie<span>

Lia had drug poor Harley around the _entire _base. She showed her the rec room, medical bay, kitchen (which there was two or three of), the airplane dock, the car storage, arms room, several other areas. It was about 3 o'clock when Lia finally drug the exhausted Harley to the living quarters. They didn't live to far from the entrance, on the second level, and they had a great view of the base and the mountains and forest surrounding it. Drawing the curtains so they wouldn't get any peeping toms, Lia sat down on one of the beds. The room was quite large for a living quarter and could house two full beds. The beds were on the right when you walked in and there was a door to the bathroom on the immediate left. On the opposite wall of the beds was a large flat-screen t.v and a desk. On the right side of the furthest bed was a small divider. On the opposite side of the divider was a comfy loveseat and a cute coffee table.

"What do you think?" Harley considered the question for a question. The walls were painted a charcoal gray and the soft carpet was a softer, chrome colored gray.

"I like the colors on the walls," She heard Lia scoff.

"Colors? It looks like a morgue in here! We need some color!" Lia spread her hands out to emphasize 'color'. Harley chuckled and set her bag down on the bed Lia wasn't sitting on, "Like... like a neon _blue _or, or, _or _a bright _yellow_! Oh, oh, oh! How about red?"

Harley smiled and shook her head. Walking over to a mini fridge that was settled in the corner facing the couches, she retrieved a water and walked back over to the bed with her things on it. Sitting down, she felt how comfy it was. Lia stopped for a moment to watch her friend bounce up and down from where she was sitting.

"Pretty bouncy, huh?" Harley flushed a bright red when she found out that she got caught.

"Uh-huh," She nodded and flopped back, kicking off her shoes, and her head landing on one of the fluffy pillows.

"These are civilian quarters. The military wants us to be as comfortable as can be. They don't want us stressing or anything," She heard Lia faintly. Her ears were covered with the down pillow. Suddenly, she got whacked in the face with a pillow. Sitting up, Harley glared at the grinning girl.

"Hey! That actually kinda hurt!" Lia burst into a fit of giggles only to shriek when Harley threw one of her own pillows at the girls head.

"It's a pillow, they're not supposed to hurt!" Lia laughed and tossed the pillow back. They both went quiet and looked at each other, a smirk growing on both of their faces. Both getting up slowly at the same time, they climbed on top of their beds, eyes never leaving each other. Hands raising above their heads with pillows armed, they both screamed out at once.

"PILLOW FIGHT!"

And they had at it. At one point in the pillow fight, Lia had gotten a slight black eye and Harley got a bloody nose, and two of the pillows had teared resulting in them both covered in a fine layer of feathers. Collapsing on their respectable beds, the girls where heaving. They really had at it, Harley was surprised. The girl had power in her tiny body! Hearing a knock, Lia raised a hand.

"Its... open!" Since Harley's bed was pressed against the wall and was being blocked from the view of the door, she had no idea came in.

"Dear God, what the hell happened in here!" It sounded like Tobias. Lia sat up and gave him an exuberant smile.

"Heh, looks like we've made a mess of ourselves _and _our room, huh Dino?"

Harley sat up and looked at Lia with a broad smile on her face, "I do believe you're right, Pix."

She didn't know where it came from or why she responded to 'Dino', but it just felt natural. This was the best she's felt in nearly four years and she was going to enjoy it, darn it.

Oh, right. The mission.

She almost forgot. Turning her head to the left, she watched Tobias walk in with a very shocked look on his face. His hands were palm up and facing at us. One look at me, his jaw dropped.

"What the hell happened to _you_?" She winced. His voice went up almost and entire octave.

"It's called a pillow war. Nearly gave Pix over there a black eye," Harley jerked a thumb over in Lia's direction. Tobias practically flew to her and took her face in his hands, assessing the damage. Watching with slight amusement, she saw Lia's face sport a light pink on her cheeks. Suddenly, someone cleared they're throat and three heads swiveled to look at the source. There was three other men in the door way. Harley recognized her uncle but not the other two. One of the guys there had soft brown hair and a slight five o'clock shadow. His hair was a bit longer than her uncles and slightly windswept. He was sporting a smile and looked around.

"Jeez, you girls can get pretty violent, huh?" Harley just shrugged.

"You should see me when I'm pissed," She gave a short laugh, "Head's will roll."

They obviously thought she was joking (since the guy, her uncle, and Lia all laughed) but they don't know what she was capable of. Tobias had a bit of a smile on his face and Harley couldn't really see the last guy. She knew he was taller than both her uncle and the guy from before, but he was still in the shadows. All she saw were broad shoulders.

"I'm Major Lennox," The guy from earlier extended a hand. She took it gingerly and smiled a little.

"Harley Pewitt."

"Ahh, so you're the infamous Harley?" The guy, Lennox, nudged her uncle in the ribs. He scratched the back of his neck nervously and chuckled, obviously caught. Harley crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow.

"Okay, spill. What have you said 'bout me?" Her uncle just shrugged.

"Nothing _to _bad, just what you were like as a baby and what not," Lennox clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, like that one time you ended up sneaking into the supermarket at 3."

Her uncle laughed, "Mom was so pissed at me. Or that one time I babysat you and you ended up stealing my date that came over."

The two laughed while she just stared at them oddly.

"Uhh...?" Her uncle stopped and gasped.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry Harley! I completely forgot!" Lennox turned to him.

"Forgot what?"

"Harley lost her memory."

"Oh," Was all Lennox could say quietly. He turned to Harley, "How long ago did you lose it?"

"About 3 and half years ago," He nodded and sat down on the edge of her bed. Harley sighed and gave him the rundown that she had told Tobias, Lia, and her uncle earlier. At the end, Lennox soaked it all in and had a thoughtful look on his face. Turning to the shadowed figure, he mumbled something to him that Harley couldn't really catch. He didn't really catch the light well enough for her to see him, but she did see a glimpse of tan skin and dark hair. And she caught an extremely deep, barotone voice. Even deeper than her uncle's and Megatrons. Lennox nodded again and turned back to Harley, smiling.

"Well, I'm going to let you two ladies relax for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, though, I need Harley to report to the med bay, okay Lia?" Lia nodded, completely serious. Lennox got up to leave and turned to me once more, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Harley. I hope you enjoy it here."

"And it was a pleasure to meet you, as well. And I think I'm already enjoying it," She laughed, gesturing to the feathered room. Lennox laughed and nodded. Her uncle smiled and said his good-byes and left the room. Tobias followed suit as well as Lennox and the shadowed figure. Lia sighed and lied back into her bed, turning on the t.v.

"Hey, Pix?"

"What's up?" Lia turned to look at Harley.

"Who was that other guy in here? He didn't talk and I never saw his face," Lia's face scrunched in thought and then it dawned on her.

"Oh! That was Optimus. He's one of the higher ranking officers here and is in charge of assessing all the new recruits."

"Optimus?" Why did that name sound familiar? "What kind of name is that?"

"What kind of name is Harley?" Lia retorted, laughing.

"An awesome kind."

"So is Optimus."

"I don't know."

"At least he's not named after a freaking motorcycle."

"At least I _was _named after something!"

We both got quiet and then burst into a fit of laughter.

"I see the old Harley coming out," Lia smiled, as did Harley.

"I just hope that whatever they were planning on doing to restore my memory works."

"Me, too. I miss the old Harley, though the new ain't half bad. I love the hair!" Lia laughed. Harley shrugged and lied back, pressing into the comfy down comforter of the bed and watched the t.v with Lia. She was channel surfing, seeing as nothing was on. A large yawn over took Harley and Lia chuckled softly.

"You take a nap. I'll wake you up before dinner. It's at 19oo."

She waved a hand tiredly at Lia, "Please... no military... times."

All she remembered before she fell asleep was Lia laughing quietly and the sound of a door opening.

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><p>"Psst... Harley!" Lia nudged the girls shoulder. Harley's eyes popped open, scaring Lia, "Jeez! How do you do that?"<p>

Harley laughed, "I'm a light sleeper?"

"Nu-uh. Whenever I slept over, you slept like a freaking rock. That ain't going to fly, Dino," Harley laughed again and sat up.

"Is it time for dinner?"

"Yep!" Lia brought over a tray full of food to her, placing it in her lap. Harley looked up at her, incredulous.

"We missed dinner?" Lia shrugged, "Just as you fell asleep, the medical personell here, Dr. Ratchet, came in and checked on you. Blood pressure and whatnot. He said that it was alright if you missed dinner. Your body was exhausted and Hatch- er, Dr. Ratchet said it would probably be best if you didn't stress your body out anymore than it already was by meeting a bunch of 'boisterous and over-exuberant men.'"

Harley laughed at the sudden funny accent Lia had acquired, throwing an odd pose and sticking her nose in the air. Lia followed and pointed to the food.

"Dr. Ratchet said you were odd. You need triple the normal calorie count?" Harley nodded, a piece of steak in her awaiting mouth. She chewed and quickly swallowed.

"I did a lot of exercise where I was staying at since there was nothing else to do. I guess my metabolism adapted. That's why I'm so skinny," Harley poked her belly, which was pratically concave, and it growled back in response.

"I guess," Lia laughed and turned to the t.v. Harley took note that it was dark outside and Lia had the lights in the room on. Watching random stuff while she ate, Harley wondered what tomorrow held for her. Just as she was finishing up, they heard a knock on the door.

"It's open," Lia didn't bother to tear her eyes away from the screen, engulfed in American Idol, "Ooh, he's hot."

"Thank you, I know I am," Harley heard someone chuckle. Lia grabbed a pillow and threw it in the general direction of the door but missed completely. She was to into the screen. Harley thought it was a waste of time staring at the t.v.

"Shut it Sunny," She grumbled.

"Nah, torturing you is to much funny," Harley heard another, slightly higher-pitched voice. The voices sounded the same but one was an octave lower than the other.

"Shut it Sides. You two are so annoying!" Lia huffed but still refused to tear her eyes away from the screen. Harley quirked an eyebrow and placed the tray on the floor, laying back into her pillows comfortably. Lia finally tore her eyes away from the t.v when it went on commercial, "Are you two coming in or not?"

"Huh? Oh!" Harley heard something thud and then some footsteps. Two figures stepped into the light and she saw that the two people were freaking identical! Aside the hair, of course, and a few other things (such as clothes), but they looked the same when it came to facial features, stature, and height. One had flaming red hair with slightly silver tipped streaks and the other had the yellowest yellow hair with slightly charcoal tipped streaks, both hair was spiked up slightly in the middle and buzzed on the sides, resulting in a faux hawk. Their skin was slightly darker than that of Lia's (but not by much) and they were definitely fit, seeing as they were in the military. The one with the red hair sported a light grey tank top and black jeans and the one with the yellow hair (it didn't deserve to be blonde, it was really freaking _yellow_) was wearing a dark grey t-shirt and dark blue jeans. Both had military tags. Harley couldn't really make out facial features, but she could see the broad cheekbones and slightly flat nose, their lips slightly fuller than others.

"What are you two doing in here?" Lia crossed her arms and looked at them. The one with the yellow hair scratched the back of his head a bit nervously.

"Oh, you know, we were patrolin' and we thought you'd like some company, y'know?" Harley quirked an eyebrow just as Lia did. They haven't seemed to notice Harley yet for some odd reason.

"Sides, you and I both know that is a bunch of bull-."

Harley threw a pillow at her friend, thoroughly cutting off the curse that was about to come out of her mouth. Lia laughed and tossed the pillow back, Harley catching it with ease and putting it behind her head again.

"And who are you?" The one with red hair crossed his arms and faced Harley head on, giving her a skeptical once-over. That made her want to punch him. Then the yellow-haired one turned to look at her as well and tilted his head to the side.

'_It's kind of cute..._' She mentally slapped herself. Did she really just think that? Well, she was right. They were identical. Both had high and flat cheek bones, slightly pursed and full lips, and a nose that kind of flattened. The only difference was the tone of their eyes. Whereas the red one had a deep, almost purple eyes, the yellow one had bright, robin's egg colored eyes.

"Yeah, never seen you here before..." The yellow-haired one trailed off and Lia giggled slightly, bounding over to Harley's bed and put an arm around her.

"Sides, Sunny, this is my best friend Harley Pewitt. Greg's niece?" A look of recognition flashed in their eyes.

"So, you're related to General Pewitt?" The red one said skeptically. Harley nodded. Lia turned to her.

"Harley, these are some of my good friends, and prank buddies, Sunny," She pointed to the red-haired one, "And Sides." She pointed to the yellow-haired one.

"Those are some odd names... Are they nicknames?" Harley inquired quietly. Sunny was going to retort something when Sides suddenly clapped, making Harley jump a little.

"You _do _have a pretty voice!" An eyebrow was raised, "Your uncle said you had a nice voice. I do believe he was tellin' us true, bro!"

Sunny grunted but a hint of amusement sparked in his eyes.

"So, what are you guys really in here for?" Lia inquired, crossing her arms exactly like Sunny's.

"Ohh, nothing," Sides was horrible at lying, Harley could tell right off the bat. Looks like Lia caught on as well.

"Sides," She said, her tone firm.

"Okay, okay, I wanted to check out the newbie!" Sides smiled sheepishly. Harley couldn't help but smile. He was to adorable.

'_Stop thinking like that, Harley! Bad girl, no likey the enemy!_' But Sides wasn't an Autobot, right? Harley's forehead creased in a thoughtful look. Sides didn't seem like a human name, but perhaps it _was _a nickname? Sides sat at the foot of Harley's bed and continued to laugh and joke around with Lia, who was now on her own bed. Sunny kept to the wall, leaning against it and watching Harley out of the corner of his eye. Something about her made his servos twitch, and not in a good way.

'_Not like the way they do when I'm around Lia... Wait-._' Sunny blinked several times. Did he just-? And about a-? No. He wasn't thinking like that about a human, a _fleshy_. Someone who was so much weaker than him. Looking at Lia, a small smile graced his lips. He hadn't seen her this happy. Ever. And then this Harley chick up and appears and not only Lia is much happier, but General Pewitt and Tobias as well.

Harley was deep in thought when she heard another knock at the door. Sunny turned his head and his eyes widened a bit before shaking his brother on the shoulder, whispering harshly at him. All Harley caught was 'Hatchet' and Sides stood up.

"What are you two doing in here?" A tired yet gruff voice asked. Sunny and Sides both began stuttering, looking like kids who got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Harley looked at Lia and Lia smiled back, shaking her head. Getting up, she walked behind the two stuttering boys and popped her head between their shoulders.

"It's nothing, Dr. Ratchet. Sides wanted to come in and ask me something. They were just on their way out," Harley gave her kudos. The girl was wicked sharp. The Decepticons could definitely use her! Maybe once this mission blows over, Harley could show Lia the light and have her come onto the Decepticon base with her. Megatron probably wouldn't mind another human ally who was just as sharp witted and cunning as her. Harley heard the gruff voice grunt.

"Very well. Out you two go," The boys nodded furiously. Sides turned to me and waved.

"Nice to meet ya, Harley! Don't be stranger!" He laughed as he and his brother made a mad dash for the door. Lia let out a small laugh and ran a hair through her pale hair.

"Certainly a handful, huh Doc?"

"You have _no _idea," Harley heard the voice grunt and he walked into the light. It was a man in his late thirties, early forties. He had dark, brown hair that was slightly wavy and gray peeking at the sides. He was a good stature, about 6 foot, and was broad shouldered. Even the medical personell had a bit of muscle! He wore a white trenchcoat over a yellow shirt and black slacks. Pushing the glasses further up on the bridge of his nose, Harley could make out his slightly-oval shaped face and cheekbones. Did all the military men here have prominent cheekbones? He turned and smiled gently at Harley, his deep, sky blue eyes glittering a little, "Looks like my patient has finally awoken."

A laugh escaped her mouth and Harley watched the doctor near, "I needed it! You don't know how long I was hiking in these flimsy things."

She raised her shoes, the sole to one of them popping off.

"You've got to be kidding me! This was my last pair!" She all but wailed. Her shoulders slumped and a pout tugged at her lip, "Not fair."

The doctor chuckled, "Lia will go with you tomorrow to get a new pair."

"I am?" Lia questioned from her bed.

"Yes, you will. Lean forward," The doctor instructed and Harley complied. He took her breath measurements and blood pressure, "You're an odd one, you know. Eating habits and all."

Harley shrugged and told him the same thing she told Lia. She couldn't exactly tell them that it was the required calorie count needed for her to fire off a powerful Cybertronian weapon or to keep up with Alice in their hardcore hand-to-hand combat training. That'd definitely jepoardize the entire mission. And she knew very well how Megatron hated to lose.

"I see," The doctor nodded and tugged at the bottom of her shirt, "Do you mind if I-...?"

She was happy to see how manners still applied here. Nodding, she felt the fabric of her shirt being lifted and hooked around her shoulders. She heard him take a sharp breath and saw out of the corner of her eye Lia turning to watch the doctor. He gently ran his fingers up and down her spine and she shoved down the urge to squirm and giggle, seeing as that between the feather-light touch and her ticklish spot, it was hard for her to not burst into a fit of giggles. Harley could feel his perspective eyes on her back and she heard Lia get up.

"Doctor, is that...?" She felt Lia's cold finger prod at her right shoulder blade, a slight gasp escaping her.

"I'm afraid it is."

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><p><strong>an: bahaha, i love cliffhangers ;3 and it's a surefire way to make sure you guys are all on your toes :D god, i feel like crap but i'm pulling through just for you guys, so help me get better by reviewing :D and if you guys were wondering, no, my stories will _not _be related to each other. Sunny doesn't appear in the Bee series until a little later and in the Bee series, only Bee and Ratchet have holoforms. In this story, each autobot already have their holoform.**

**What do you think Hatchet and Lia found?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


	4. Robe

**a/n: right now, it's currently 2:1o in the morning, but i know that if i didn't write this, i knew that this was going to keep me up _all _night :P so heres chapter 4 for you guys :D**

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><p><span>Chapter 4: Robe<span>

"What is it?" Harley asked, annoyed at them not telling her, and a little scared. What if it jeopardized her mission?

"It's... It's nothing," Dr. Ratchet said and put down her top. Harley turned and gave him a look.

"Tell me," The doctor sighed and ran a hair through his short hair.

"It looks like you've got a... scar of some sort on your shoulder."

"A scar? That's all?" Harley barely knew she had a scar there.

"Well, that's not all. It's not something to concern yourself with," The doctor smiled and got up, gathering his things, and walked to the front of the room, "I need to run more tests on you tomorrow to see how your health is and if there is anything that you may be allergic to, including the serum."

Harley nodded. So far, there wasn't anything she was allergic to. He had also mentioned a serum, "Excuse me, doctor? What kind of serum?"

"Well, Harley," The doctor placed his things on the desk under the flat screen and leaned against it, "It's a serum I've used on the soldiers when they've returned from battle and had amnesia. It's worked on all of them so far with no side effects, so I'm hoping it will work on you."

She nodded again, soaking in the tid-bits of information. The doctor picked up his things and made his way towards the door.

"Get a good night's rest, ladies," Harley heard the door open.

"You, too, Doc!" Lia called. Harley looked at her when she heard the door close.

"What did you and the doctor see?" Lia bit her lip and looked at Harley. She looked as if she desperately wanted to tell her.

"I... I'm sorry, Harley, it's best if you don't know," Harley opened her mouth, "For now!"

Harley closed her mouth again. For now?

'_But what if when they tell me, it's to late?_' Harley began to chew on her own lip. Lia smiled and hopped onto her bed.

"Don't worry, Dino. It's nothing life threatening or anything," Lia bumped her shoulder with hers. Harley smiled and bumped back, a yawn erupting from her mouth. Lia laughed, "_Still _tired?"

Harley nodded. Lia smiled and yawned herself, "I ain't the only one!"

"Shut up," Lia said defiantly and walked to her bed, "You can go change in the bathroom if it makes you more comfortable."

Harley was about to say 'No' but then thought about it. Perhaps she could see what the Doctor and Lia had. Nodding, she rummaged through her pack and grabbed her tank top. It was really the only thing she wore besides her undergarments to bed. Walking into the bathroom, she saw that it was grand as well. Cool sandy colored tile and a pale colored marble counter took up the first half of it. It had a cute little beach theme, with the back walls painted to show the sand and the ocean at noon and the cute little seashell soaps. There was an adjacent room which she walked into and gasped. There wasn't only a shower with a overhead shower head and a rainforest looking rock you could sit on and have shampoos and such on, but there was a massive tub that looked like it could seat 8 people (which it probably could) and the little holes where water jetted out in a massage. Harley figured she'd take a shower or bath tomorrow. There was a small room next to it and she saw that it was the toilet. Walking back into the main bathroom, she peeled her sweaty shirt away from her body and turned around, trying to catch a glimpse of her right shoulder. Her hair, luckily, didn't get in the way so she didn't have to worry about it. Running her fingers across her skin, she gasped slightly when she felt the raised skin. Looking at it furiously in the mirror, her eyes finally laid on the scar. It was white so it stuck out against her tan skin. It looked like a bunch of squiggles so people who didn't know what it was probably thought it was a jacked up scar, but she knew exactly what it was.

It was old Cybertronian. Megatron had taught her the language, but vaguely. She knew basic vocabulary and simple phrases but she wasn't fluent. Yet.

With the way the squiggles curved here and crossed there, Harley figured out what it meant.

'Betrayer.'

Blinking at her reflection once, twice, three times, Harley slowly turned and looked at herself in the mirror. Did she see betrayer in her? She didn't think so. Tilting her head to the left a little, her hair flopped into her eyes a little. Staring at her reflection for a moment more before she tugged on the thin tanktop and stripping off her pants, she walked out of the bathroom in a sheer silver tank top, bra, and boxer shorts. Just as she walked out, the front door swung open and a man walked in. Stopping in her tracks, Harley stared up at the man. He was quite tall, at least 6 foot 3. He had very broad shoulders and was definitely fit. His skin was almost as tan as hers but it was also pale at the same time, a kind of creamy color. His face was sort of heart shaped and gave way to sloping cheeks. His nose was kind of flat on top and sloped gently into his cheeks. His hair was black and buzzed in the back and kind of shaggy on top, a red and blue streak peeked through his bangs. Harley's mouth opened and he turned to face her. She got caught up in his eyes. They were this deep and clear ocean blue, a slightly lighter color around the pupil and it faded into a darker color towards the outer edges of the iris. They were amazing to look at and it took Harley a moment to realize that she was subject to a strangers stare in her flimsy tank top and boxer shorts. Flushing a deep red color, she broke eye contact and turned back into the bathroom, slamming the door and hit her back to it.

Did that just happen?

Her heart felt like she was going to beat right out of her chest! When he turned, their eyes connected and she definitely felt something, like a flutter or something, in her. That never happened to her before, with _anyone_. None of the guys she passed by on the street or the cute guy that would flirt with her whenever she went to go get groceries for the Decepticon base. All were complete strangers but none of them had made her feel like this. Her heart pounding, face flushed. Harley shook her head, must be from embarassment. But when she thought about those eyes, the ones that she had gotten lost in less than a milisecond, her stomach turned upside down. She sat against the door until she heard a soft knock.

"Harley? You okay?" It was Lia.

"Is he gone?"

"Yeah," Harley stood up and opened the door, looking down at the girl. She was wearing a very large t-shirt that reached her knees. Worry shone clearly in her eyes, "What happened?"

"He saw me in this," Harley gestured to all of her. From her very flimsy (and very _see-through_ tank top) to her short boxer shorts, "A stranger saw me in _this_!"

"Oh," Was all Lia said, "Did he look at you?"

Harley shook her head, "When we locked eyes, that was it. He only looked at my eyes and then I realized what I was wearing, turned around, and slammed the door in his face," Realizing what she did, Harley groaned and face-palmed, "He probably thinks I'm a jerk now, huh?"

Lia chuckled and tugged on Harley's wrist, pulling her out of the bathroom and onto her bed. Harley flopped face first into the pillows.

"He doesn't think you're a jerk. I only asked because when he walked in, he was bright red," Lia burst into a fit of giggles, "I don't think that, even when embarassed, he's even got to that color."

Harley whipped her head up, "Are you saying he saw something?"

Lia held up her hands, "Chill, Dino. I'm not saying that, I'm just saying that he was embarassed on walking in on you. And he's sorry if he's offended you."

Harley blinked. No one at the Decepticon Base is sorry. For anything. Ever. So it took her through a loop. Sitting up, she scratched the back of her head.

"Oh, uhm... It's okay, I just didn't expect it," She laughed nervously and Lia smiled.

"Good, I don't think you want one of the top officials here on your bad side," Lia pressed her back into the pillows. Harley tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Who was it?"

"Optimus."

Harley's eyes buldged.

"You mean...?"

"Yep."

"The one who knows...?"

"Uh-huh."

"Ack!" Harley face-planted into her fluffy pillows.

"It's not that bad," Lia laughed at her friend. All she heard was mumbles and erratic arm movements, "Take those feathers out of your mouth and speak to me!"

Harley sat up and glared at her, "Fine! I said 'He knows my uncle! He's going to go tell him what little clothing I wear! He's going to tell him this and that and arg!'"

Lia blinked and raised an eyebrow, "'He's going to tell him this and that and arg!'?"

"Yes, 'this and that and arg!'," Harley nodded. Lia's mouth twitched.

"So this happens... then that happens... and suddenly, you're a pirate?" The two were quiet before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Argh! He's going to tell me uncle about me flimsy clothing!" Harley shut her left eye and clawed her index finger as a hook. Lia laughed harder.

"Argh! He's going to tell her uncle that he saw her booty!" Lia joined.

"Argh! He's not going to get a hand on me booty!" The two girls began to laugh hysterically. A few minutes of hard laughter, cheesy pirate puns, and tears later, the two finally settled down.

"You know?" Lia started, flipping through the t.v quietly.

"Hmm?" Harley yawned, staring up at the ceiling.

"You may not have your memories, but I see the old Harley coming out a lot," Lia paused, "I like the old Harley, but I like the new one, too."

Harley sat up and looked at her friend on the other bed. A soft smile was gracing her lips and Harley suddenly felt guilty. _Really _guilty. For putting her friend through this, her uncle, Tobias, all of them through a false hope to have her snatch everything they've been working for away and to their arch enemies. It began to gnaw on the back of her mind and her heart tugged painfully. Here she was, a hardened Decepticon soldier, perfectly fine with killing a stranger or stealing in order to get what she wanted, feeling extremely guilty to a girl who claimed that were best friends since they were little but has no recollition of them together at all. Biting her lip, she fell back into the cushion of her pillows and onto her side, her back to Lia.

"G'night, Dino."

"Night, Pix."

* * *

><p>Yawning, Harley stretched her arms and sat up. Her night hadn't been exactly the best. She got sleep alright, but it was haunted with her guilt. Looking at the digital clock on the bedside table, she noticed it said 'o63o'. Groaning slightly, she figured it wouldn't do much good to sleep in. Looking over at Lia's bed, she noticed the body wasn't in it. Scrunching her eyebrows for a second, she shrugged. Looking down at the foot of the bed, she noticed something red. Sitting up, Harley picked up the red item, the material smooth and silky in her palms. There was a note on it.<p>

_Dino,_

_I probably won't be back when you wake up, the boys wanted me to make breakfast. Here's a robe for you in case someone walks in ;)_

_If you are awake and I'm not there, please stay in the room. Dr. Ratchet asked me to keep you in there and undisturbed until we go to the Med Bay so you'll be as calm and relaxed as possible for the tests._

_With all love, _

_Pixie_

Well... that wasn't conspicous at all! Harley sighed and held up the robe. It was a shimmery, blood red fabric and was definitely soft. Getting up and wrapping it around her, she saw that it stopped mid-thigh on her. Turning on the bedside table lamp and the lights that hung from the wall, Harley turned on the t.v to MTV and watched music videos until about 7:3o when she heard a knock on the door.

"It's open!" Only a half a day and she was already taking to Lia's habits. She heard the door open and saw a yellow head peek around the corner, "Hey Sides."

"Hey, Harley! Good to see you're up!" Sides smiled and walked fully into the room.

"Where's your brother?" They seemed like the type to be attached at the hip.

"He's with 'Hide training," Sides shrugged and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Hide?"

"Our weapons and training specialist."

"Ah," She noticed that he sat right next to her leg and had barely enough space to sit, "Do you think it'd be more comfortable to be on Lia's bed?"

Sides shrugged, "Eh, I think she'd be angry if I sat on her perfect bed."

He made a hand gesture and Harley looked over at the perfectly made up bed with a laugh.

"I'd think so, too," Sides smiled.

"So you see my predicament!" Harley laughed again and scooted over so that there was enough room for Sides.

"Better?" Sides lied down next to her and put his hands up behind his head.

"Much," He said with a sigh, "You know, you're guys' beds are _a lot _comfier than ours!"

"Lia says it's to not stress out anyone here more than necessary," Harley shrugged and flipped around the channels before landing on Animal Planet, "I love this channel."

"I guess," Sides shrugged, relaxing into the still warm bed, "And why? It's just a bunch of stinky animals running around for no purpose."

Harley had no idea why she said it. She didn't have t.v in the Decepticon base. Perhaps it was some of her old habits coming back so she just said what came naturally, "Because it shows you the beauty of life and death. We humans think we're so sophisticated and so higher up on the food chain than a vicious lion or a stinky babboon, but how long has it been since we've actually _worked_ to get our food instead of getting it served to us in the form of a greasy burger or a frozen food product? I believe that these animals are a lot smarter than us but don't have the means of telling us. They work to get their food and to survive in their homeland while we're here, being fed from a silver spoon and destroying our homeland by polluting it and cutting it down to build more buildings. If we're so sophisticated and smart and so high up on the food chain, why is it that we'd die if we took away everything and went back to being cavemen?"

It shocked Sides into a silence (which was definitely a first). He had never heard someone, not even a bot on Cybertron, ever speak like that before. How degrading to their race but at the same time, making a point. To be speaking about something so passionately but so heartless at the same time. Turning his head to look at her, she herself looked surprised.

"Where in the world did that come from?" Harley just shook her head. Even she didn't know. She knew that it was a strong feeling in the pit of her stomach that she needed to say out loud.

"I... I don't know. It was something I felt that needed to be voiced," She shrugged and looked at Sides, who sat up.

"You're the first girl I've ever met to speak about something so passionate, yet so dispassionate at the same time. You're degrading your own kind yet you're making a point about how lazy we've gotten," Though he's Cybertronian, he forgets it sometimes, "And how stupid we've gotten as well. We think we're so high and mighty but put us out in the wild with nothing more than a few basic hunting tools and we're sitting ducks!"

"That's what I'm saying!" Harley never met a guy who shared her view, let alone stood eye-to-eye with her on it. They always thought she was one of those 'animal-lovers' or 'tree-hugging hippies' when all she wanted was to get a point across, "We've gotten so used on depending on our food being handed straight to us that we've become lazy. We're destroying our home because we want just expensive cars, not expensive _and _eco-friendly cars. Don't get me wrong, I love a good sports car every now and again, I just wish that more of them were eco-friendly. God, I sound like a tree-hugging hippy now, huh?"

She let her forehead fall into her palm. She felt Sides shift and a hand grip her wrist. Tensing slightly, she let Sides pull her hand away from her face and held it in his, her palm up and his free hand traced patterns in her palm.

"No, you don't. You sound like a down-to-earth girl with a strong head on her shoulders. You know what you're talking about and you're passionate about it. Not many girls nowadays even consider what you're talking about, let alone know how to word it like you do," He gave out a short laugh and looked up into Harley's eyes, "You really are a special girl. I don't think that you know that yet."

"I've been told, though," Harley smiled. Sides let out a short laugh, looked down and then back up, nodding.

"I'm sure you have," He smiled. Harley liked his smile. It was soft and kind of child-like, very innocent. She didn't know how or why, but suddenly Sides got a lot closer to her face. Their eyes were still locked on each other and she barely felt their noses brush by. At the same time, their eyes half-closed. Just as their lips were about to connect, a loud ringing made them both nearly jump out of their skins. Harley ended up with her back to the wall and Sides ended up on the floor. Her heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. She heard Sides curse quietly under his breath as he answered his phone.

"What?" He answered, annoyance clear in his voice, "Yeah. Uh-huh. Whatever. See ya."

He clicked the phone shut, sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair. Harley flopped onto her stomach and looked down at him.

"You okay?" He looked up and gave her a short laugh, nodding.

"Yeah, bro's been going crazy trying to find me. Guess I gotta get going huh?" Harley laughed as well and nodded. Sides got up and Harley did as well. Walking him to the door, Sides turned on his heel and wrapped Harley in a hug. Not really knowing what to do, she wrapped her arms gingerly back. He released her and their eyes locked again. Harley was the first one to look away, a slight pink dusting her cheeks. She heard Sides chuckle and kiss her on the cheek, "See ya later, Harley."

"See ya," She mumbled and closed the door with a soft click. A full blast blush then over took her face. Was she just about to _kiss_ Sides earlier? Biting on her lower lip softly, Harley walked back to her bed. Laying where Sides was not only a few moments ago, she sank comfortably against the pillows and flipped through the t.v channels, awaiting her friends return.

'_Well, so much for staying calm and relaxed..._' Harley put a hand over her still pounding heart and willed it to calm down. How the hell is she going to keep up with her mission if crap like this keeps happening?

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><p><strong>an: woah! hows that for a twist ;P**

**alice: jeez, you're to tired to think straight!**

**me: Oh god, you fraggin followed me from 'Bee Sting'! **

**alice: dude, I'm in your head, I follow you _everywhere_. **

**me: =_= don't make me get the Ironhide plushie (gets out the plushie warningly)**

**alice: O_o meap! (runs and hides)**

**me: anyways!**

**What do you think of the story twist? **

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


	5. Shot

**a/n: okay! here's chapter 5! :D**

**alice: hn**

**me: oh, try to act happy!**

**alice: wae? you're the one who's fragging tired!**

**me: (Yawns) shut it =.= anyways, here's chapter 5 for you guys :)**

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><p><span>Chapter 5: Shot<span>

It had been about an hour since Sides left and Harley was bored out of her mind. Why was it taking Lia so long? Getting up and looking around the room, she saw a pad of paper and a pencil in one of the desks drawers. Picking up the pad, she saw that it was blank. Harley found herself drawing randomly on something at the Decepticon base quite often. Especially when she was bored. Sitting back on the bed, she shifted. After Sides had left, she had gotten up and changed into a comfortable pair of sweats and a red tanktop. She had rolled up the sweat pants till they were above her knees and were still quite comfortable.

Holding her head in her left palm, Harley began sketching randomly. First, it was a bird that ended up looking like a spider and then a tree. The legs of the spider were the branches and the body was the trunk. It was odd looking and very intricate. She always had an eye for detail. It was about 8:45 when Lia stumbled in. She looked sweaty and exhausted. Glancing up, Harley did a double take.

"What the hell happened to you? I thought you were just going to make breakfast!" Lia flopped down on her bed with a thud.

"I was chased throughout the halls by a lot of the soldiers," She panted slightly and turned her head to Harley, "They want to see you. They figured since that you're uncle is the one of the best looking soldiers, they figured you'd be really pretty."

Harley laughed. She didn't find herself really pretty, "Well, okay then!"

Lia laughed as well and sat up, "Let me take a quick shower and change and then we'll go to the Med Bay."

Harley nodded and watched her friend go into the bathroom before returning to her doodling. Her mind began to wander.

'_They think uncle is one of the best looking here? I dunno..._' Harley bit her lower lip in thought, '_Sides is really cute, and so is his brother. I don't think Sunny likes me all to much, though. And Optimus is really cute as well. He's not so much cute as handsome though..._'

Harley's thoughts swarmed with images of all the soldiers she's seen so far and so far Sides was the only one to pull a move on her. Then realizing what she remembered, she started panicking.

'_Should I tell Pix? Maybe... Uncle?_' Her eyes widened at what her uncle's reaction might be, '_Hell no! He wouldn't let me to see the sun nor have any visitors!_'

Harley groaned and let her head flop into her palms.

"What's wrong?" Harley jumped at the sudden voice. Lia had walked out in her bra and panties with a towel on her head, rubbing her hair. Had Harley been talking to herself for that long?

"Nothing," Harley mumbled, "Aren't you afraid of someone walking in?"

"If by 'someone' you mean Optimus, don't worry," She winked, "I have the door locked."

"Hardy-har-har," Harley stuck her tongue out.

"Anyways, you groaned and flopped your head down like you have a problem," Lia sat on her bed, "Tell me. We're best friends."

"Yeah," Harley looked up at Lia and bit her lower lip, "Promise you won't freak _or _get mad?"

"I promise," Lia held up her right hand.

"You swear?"

"I swear! Now tell me!" Lia laughed. Harley blew out a sharp breath and looked down.

"Me and Sides almost kissed," She mumbled.

"What?"

"Me and Sides almost kissed," Harley spoke a little louder.

"What?"

"Me and Sides almost kissed!" She practically shouted. Immediately, she flushed a deep red color and clapped a hand over her mouth. Lia just stared at her, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, "Lia? S-say something..."

"You and Sides..." She began to get up and walk towards her bed, "... almost kissed?"

"Y-yeah..." Harley was still quiet. Suddenly, Lia turned on her heel and began squeaking.

"THAT'S SO SWEET!" Harley stared at her wide-eyed.

"You're... you're not angry?"

"Why would I be?" Lia stopped and pulled out a red t-shirt and black skinny jeans, pulling them on. The t-shirt was baggy on her, then again, what wasn't?

"I... dunno. 'Cause one of your co-workers nearly kissed your best friend who has no memory?" Harley half-smiled. Lia sat on the edge of her bed and looked at her.

"As long as he doesn't break your heart, I won't break him," She winked, but then gasped, "You said almost. What happened? Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"I will once you shut up!" Harley laughed and Lia immediately shut her trap, "Well, our lips were about to touch and his phone rang, making me jump back to the wall and him actually _off _the bed."

Lia laughed, "Sounds like Sides."

"Yeah, it was his brother. He was going crazy looking for him so he had to leave. I walked him to the door and he gave me a kiss on the cheek," Harley flushed a new shade of red. Not once had she remembered blushing so much and she had tripled that count in just a day. Lia nodded and was about to say something when her cellphone beeped.

"Oop! Looks like the Doc is ready for us! You ready?" Lia smiled and stood up. Harley nodded and stood up as well, but then looked down at her feet.

"What 'bout shoes?" Lia nodded and walked to a large suitcase by the door.

"I had your uncle bring all of your stuff from your old house, there's a pair of flip flops in here somewhere..." She mumbled as she rumaged through the large case, "Aha!"

Harley wasn't really paying attention, so she ended up getting whacked in the face with a pair of rainbow flip-flops, "Hey!"

"Hay is for horses!" Lia smiled and rolled the suitcase to the foot of Harley's bed as she put on her shoes, "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be!" Harley smiled and stepped out of the comfort of her room. Lia clasped onto her arm and gently tugged her around. After about 2o minutes of being drug around and stopped to ask who she was (and be flirted with a few times), they finally arrived at the Med Bay. It was a large door, like a lot of them there, and it looked quite heavy duty. She just figured that it was an airplane hangar and then realized something.

She was there.

On a mission.

Where the Autobots were being stationed.

And there was a surprisingly huge lack of giant robots walking around.

Shaking her head, she followed Lia into the Med Bay once the heavy doors parted.

"What's up, Doc?" Lia smiled and walked up to the doctor. He was cleaning up his station, which was already neat and tidy. The Med Bay was huge! There were several beds along the walls and three 1o foot tall metal tables pushed into the furthest wall. Walking over to the doctor, Harley smiled.

"Hello ladies. I assume you two had a good nights rest?" Dr. Ratchet smiled at them.

"And an even better morning," Lia mumbled, nudging Harley in the ribs. Harley smacked her hard on the shoulder when the doctor turned around.

"Shut it!" Harley hissed.

"Alright, Harley, I'll need you to sit on this table right here," The doctor patted the table next to him. It had a cloth over it to prevent the cold metal from hitting skin, but it didn't do much. Harley got up on the table and the doctor turned to her and shined a light in her eye, "Please follow this light. Have you been experiencing any diziness, drowsiness, or nausea since you've arrived?"

Harley shook her head. The doctor took her breathing measurements, checked her ears and mouth, and took her height and weight. Nodding, he jotted all the data onto a clipboard. Lia wandered off somewhere, leaving the two be. Harley remained quietly and watched the doctor curiously as he gave her a full-body check up. Splice never did this. He only fixed up what was broken or bleeding and sent her on her way. He figured she could fend for herself when it came to diet or any simple sickness, like a flu or a cold.

"Well, it doesn't look like anything's wrong so I'm going to take some blood to make sure you're not allergic to anything," He smiled and held up a very thin and very sharp needle, "You're not afraid of blood, are you?"

'_If he only knew the half of it..._' Harley thought grimly while shaking her head.

"Nah, it doesn't bother me to much."

Nodding, he placed a stretchy band in the middle of her right upper arm, cutting off the circulation a bit. He then cleaned the area where he was going to place the needle: the junction between her upper arm and her forearm on the inside. He pricked her skin and placed a piece of tape over it. Removing the band, he watched the vial fill up. She saw the large doors open and two figures dart in. She heard snickering but payed it no mind. Dr. Ratchet had already filled up 4 small vials and 1 large one.

"One more, Harley," He muttered as he hooked up the last vial. All of a sudden, there was a large bang and a bright flash. The doctor nearly jumped three feet. Harley squeaked. Suddenly, there was a stinging in her arm. Hissing, she looked down. Apparently the doctor had ripped out the needle when he jumped and it tore across the skin horizontally across the junction. She began to bleed profusely.

"Shit," She quietly cursed. The doctor had his back turned to her and was quickly screwing on the last vial's top, "Do you have any bandages, Doc?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," He was to distracted putting the vials into a machine that tested for any allergies or pollutants in the blood at first to realize what he did, "Let me get that needle out of your-."

He turned and cut himself off while he looked at her arm. She pressed three fingers firmly against it, willing the bleeding to stop. She saw anger flare up in the doctors face and he whirled around.

"Slaggit you two! Look what you guys made me do!" He yelled quite angrily and turned back to Harley, "I do apologize. Those two don't know when to stop pranking."

Harley shrugged, "I've had worse. I just need some clean bandages."

The doctor nodded and had the bandages in one hand. Harley heard footsteps but didn't bother to look. She pried her fingers away from her arm, the digits a bloody mess. Her blood began to drip to the floor and she cursed again.

"You managed to nick my artery pretty good, Doc," She gave a half-smile but the doctor wasn't having it.

"You two are going to be in a mess of trouble when I talk to Optimus!" She heard a gasp from behind her.

"You wouldn't do that, would you Hatchet?" She heard Sunny behind her. So Lia wasn't kidding when they're her prank buddies. But she only saw two figures enter the Med Bay, not three, "We were just joking around..."

"You bet your aft I would!" Dr. Ratchet growled and Harley heard the boys gulp. The doctor began to clean up her wound, "Look at what you two did!"

She saw the boys round the table and looked at them, both of them staring at her wound and paling. Lia burst into the Med Bay and marched up to them.

"What the hell did I tell you two! Don't come into the Med Bay!" She waved her hands in front of their face when they didn't respond, "Hello-o-o?"

They pointed at Harley at the same time and Lia followed the arms, gasping once she laid eyes on her arm.

"What the hell happened?" Lia shouted angrily. She walked up and inspected the arm.

"Ask idiot boys over there," Dr. Ratchet said hastily, jabbing a thumb in the general direction, and inspected the wound more, "Well, it seems that I _have _nicked the artery. I'm sorry this had to happen, Harley."

Harley waved him off, "Like I said, I've had worse. I just need to compress it and have it wrapped for a few days to prevent infection."

The doctor stilled for a moment and looked up at her, "How do you know that?"

Blinking, Harley shrugged, "Like I said, I've had worse."

Sides finally decided to have a voice, "Oh my Primus! I am so, so, _so _sorry, Harley! I didn't know that would happen! Sunny's sorry too, right?"

Sunny just grunted and Sides hit him, "Ow! Fine, fine, sorry."

Harley just sighed exasperatedly, "Like I tell you guys, I'm fine!"

The doctor began to bandage her arm after disinfecting it and pressing a thick wad of cotton to the wound site. Harley flexed the arm gingerly, making sure she wouldn't tear the bandages.

"See? No stitches!" She smiled at the boys, trying to reassure them. Suddenly, the machine beeped. Dr. Ratchet turned on his heel and punched some buttons, the moniter beeping again and the doctor sighed.

"Well, good news is that you aren't allergic to anything. So," He turned back to Harley, "Do you want to go through with it?"

Harley nodded, "Yep! I hate being like this!"

She gave a short laugh and Sides and Sunny looked at her oddly.

"Like what?" Sides questioned quietly. Dr. Ratchet turned to his medicinal cabinet and began to bring out supplies.

"Harley here has lost all memory before a few years ago, during a battle in Mission City. She's been wandering around for those years, not knowing who her family is or who she was. I'm surprised she remembered her name. Well, that _does _happen," The doctor began to ramble.

"Cut to the chase, Hatchet!" Sunny said, obviously annoyed. The doctor pulled out a vile with an almost glowing green liquid in it and swirled it around.

"This is a serum I've been using on some of the soldiers here to retain memory after they've had amnesia from the battlefield. It's worked on all of them well with no side effects, so I'm hoping it will work on Harley."

"Ah," Sunny nodded. He actually seemed somewhat interested in this.

"Now Harley, I'm going to have to administer this directly into your spine so that it will reach your brain faster than it would in the blood stream so it won't be diluted, okay?"

Harley nodded. She knew what that meant. Turning around on the table, she lifted her tank top to her shoulders and hooked it there. She wasn't exposing anything except for her bra strap. She heard Lia come around and crouch down in front of her.

"Just watch me, Dino, 'kay?" Harley smiled and curved her back so that her skin was taut.

"It's hard to watch you, Pix. You move so fast sometimes," Lia laughed. She saw the shoes of Sunny and Sides (seeing as her back was curved and she was staring down at Lia on the ground).

"Pix?" She heard Sunny say.

"Dino?" This time it was Sides. She felt a cold substance on her back and she knew that the doctor was preparing her back. A moment of fear gripped her. She knew she could breathe nor move while he administered it or it could cause permanent damage. Lia saw the fear in her eyes and brushed a piece of her hair back.

"It's gonna be okay, Dino? Everything's going to be the way it was before," She said softly. She was scared too, what if it didn't work? What if she could never get her best friend back? Harley saw her friends jaw clench and saw the tears well up in her pretty blue eyes. Harley placed a hand on hers and smiled softly. Lia's hand was shaking and Harley's didn't do much to stop it. She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced up. It was Sides'. Pursing her lips, she felt the doctors cold fingers prod at her back.

"This will sting, but try not to move. And do _not_ breathe until it the needle is removed. Brace yourself," She then something sharp slice into her back. Her toes curled and she gripped Lia's hand, the pain in her back like a liquid fire shooting all around it.

"It's gonna be okay, Harley, your almost done," Sides said soothingly, massaging small circles in her shoulder. It eased her mind off the pain a little and she felt the foreign object being pulled out of her back after a moment. Sighing, she felt the doctor put a small bandage on top of it and pull down her shirt. The skin was still a bit sensitive. Hissing a little as she sat up, she rolled her shoulders and Lia stood up, looking at her.

"Well?"

Harley thought. She really did. She tried to recall anything before the Decepticons. Sighing, she shook her head.

"Sorry, Pix. Drawing blanks here..."

Lia looked like she was going to cry, but then shook her head, her eyes hardening.

"That's fine. If you can't remember, don't worry about it, Dino," She then smiled softly, "You did your best."

"I know... I just..." She stared into her open palms, "I just wish I could remember."

She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm and heard a door open.

"How is it, doctor?" She heard her uncle.

"Well, it hasn't worked as fast as it did on other patients, but it could still bring back her memories," A spark of hope went through her, "We'll just have to monitor her for the next few days. I just injected her with the serum so I don't suggest her walking for at least another half hour."

Lifting her head, Harley looked over her shoulder at the doctor.

"But I don't wanna be here for another half hour!" Okay, she sounded like a little kid. Her uncle smiled a little and came around the table to look at her head on.

"And where does Harley wanna go?" He asked, mimicking her child-like tone.

"Harley wants to go back to her room and get some rest," Her bottom lip tugged into a pout, "Harley had an exciting past 1o minutes."

She gestured to her arm and her uncle raised an eyebrow at Dr. Ratchet. He explained it vaguely but her uncle got the hint. Nodding, he looked at someone else that she didn't see.

"Would you mind?"

"Not at all," She heard a deep barotone voice and a pair of arms were under her, gently lifting her up and into someones chest.

"Meep!" To say that she was taken off gaurd was putting it mildly.

"My apologies."

She looked up and was looking at the guy who walked in on her last night!

'_Oh shit!_' She thought nervously. She kept her face hidden while he walked through the base carefully as to not jar her. She knew people were staring at them. Why wouldn't they? When you have one of your highest ranking soldiers carrying around the new girl like she weighed no more than a feather, you'd stare too!

As he continued to walk, the walking motion made her quite sleepy. She hadn't realized how far the Med Bay was from her room.

'_Now that I think about it, his arms __**are**__ quite comfortable..._' She thought, closing her eyes for a moment before drifting into a dreamless slumber, nestling her face that much more into his warm chest

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><p><strong>an: oooh, i think i smell a love triangle xP**

**alice: your the author, of _course _you do!**

**me: shut up alice! Dx **

**alice: nah. to fun**

**me: anyways! here's our parting question**

**Do you think a love triangle is in the works?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


	6. Shopping

**a/n: omayo! sooo sorry i haven't updated as fast as i usually have. if you hadnt read my other story 'bee sting', then heres the explanation**

**alice: in a nut shell, her cousins kidnapped her early in the morning and didn't let her out of their grip until late the next day**

**me: thank you alice**

**alice: no problem :)**

**me: =.=**

**alice: anyways, enjoy the chapter :D**

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><p><span>Chapter 6: Shopping<span>

Harley groaned and turned over. Feeling something extremely soft, she opened her eyes to see what it was. It was a... pillow? It was smooth and had a fur-like texture to it. It was a pretty sky blue pillow and about half the length of her body. Pulling it up to her body, she hugged it close to her body and shivered, enjoying the way it felt cool against her hot skin. She ran her hand up and down the side of the pillow, the texture feeling rough one way then smooth the other.

"Ah, the princess awakes," Harley turned her head to see Lia sitting on her bed. Smiling softly, she turned and stretched, a dull throb in her back.

"Shut it," She mumbled, still half asleep. Lia laughed.

"You slept for a day and a half," Harley shot up, recieving a severe case of whiplash. Groaning, she held her head in the palms of her hands.

"Got up to fast," She groaned again, then looked at Lia, "Why the _hell _did you let me sleep for a day and a half?"

"Doc says to let you sleep," She shrugged.

"For a day and a half?"

"Mm-hmm," Lia got up and got two bottles of water, passing one to Harley then sat down on her own bed, twisting off the cap, and taking a swig. She then turned to Harley, who took a small sip of hers, "He says it might be a slight side-effect, but you'll bounce back in no time."

Harley nodded and stretched out, her left hand on the fuzzy pillow and the bottle of water in the right. She glanced over at the clock and it said 1o:4o.

"What do you wanna do?" Harley asked, looking over at a very bored Lia.

"Uhm... I dunno. What do you wanna do?" Lia said slyly back. Harley smirked, she knew where this was going.

"I dunno. What do you wanna do?"

"I dunno. What do you wanna do?"

"I dunno. What do you wanna do?"

"God, this is making my head hurt," Harley smiled and feigned a headache. Lia laughed and tossed a pillow in her general direction.

"How about shopping? I don't think a lot of your old clothes will fit you since you lost all that baby fat."

Harley shrugged, "If you can get permission from the Doc and my uncle."

Lia laughed and swung her legs out to the side of the bed before getting up, "I'll see what I can do. While I'm gone, see if you can find anything that fits."

Harley laughed and nodded. Getting up, Harley waited until Lia was out the door to look through her tall suitcase. She had a lot of clothes: band tees, graphic tees, funny tees, a lot of skinny jeans, and plenty of under garments. Pulling out a red tee, she tried it on to find out it was to big. Scrunching her mouth to the side, she had a light bulb idea. Grabbing a pair of scissors, she snipped several divots into the back of the tee, going from the top to bottom and cut the strips on top in half. She then began to intertwine the strips, making her way down the back and then tying it in a knot at the bottom. Looking at the shirt again, she did the same with the tops of the sleeves and a small divot in the front, creating a v-shape and making the sleeves fall off her shoulders a bit. Trying the shirt back on, it fit a lot better. Removing it one last time, Harley pulled out a pair of black-washed skinny jeans with a purple undertone, a black shimmery tank top, and black flats. Pulling on the tank top and jeans, Harley wondered what she would get today. Maybe some more tank tops, some new jeans...

Shaking her head, Harley sat down on her bed and thought.

'_What am I doing? I'm on a mission for infiltrating the Autobots, not shopping!_' Harley curled her fingers into a fist, '_I keep forgetting what I came here to do! Instead, I'm fooling around with some girl I don't even remember and flirting with the guys here! Why is this so frustrating?_'

Slamming her hand down, Harley needed to get some air. Pulling on her red shirt and yanking a brush quickly through her hair, she threw on her flats and walked out the door. After walking down a few hallways, Harley looked at her feet, thinking. Rounding a corner, she ran smack into someone. She closed her eyes, bracing for impact, but before she could fall over, they grabbed her by the waist and supported her.

"Well, that was close," Her savior chuckled and she opened one eye, "You need to be more careful around here, Harley, don't know who's gonna getcha."

She had opened her eye wide enough to see a head of yellow hair. Opening both, she revealed a smiling Sides.

"Shut up, Sides," She smacked his arm playfully but smiled, "Can you let go of me?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Sides set her upright, a slight blush on his cheeks, "So, uh... Where have you been? I didn't see you all day yesterday."

"I've been asleep," She scratched the back of her head, embarassed. Sides stared at her wide-eyed.

"_All day yesterday_?" She flinched a little at the loudness.

"Shush, Sides!" She made motions with her hands to try to get Sides to lower his voice.

"Sorry, it's just... It takes you that long to sleep?" He asked, tilting his head to the side a bit.

'_Okay, that's actually really cute,_' Harley thought for a second before snapping back to reality.

"Uhh... Not normally, no," She shrugged, "But I guess the serum the Doc gave me made me really drowsy."

Sides nodded thoughtfully. They stood there for a moment, looking anywhere besides the other person, when Sides had a thought.

"Where were you going when you ran into me?"

"Huh? Oh, I got bored waiting for Lia to get back so I decided to walk a little before we went out."

"Out?" Again with his head tilting to the side. Harley tried to ignore it, "Why?"

"I have to go shopping for new clothes."

"Those look fine," He gestured to her shirt and jeans.

"Because I had to alter them. They were to big," She gestured to the ribbing on her sleeve, "Oh, you haven't seen the back, have you?"

"No... why?" Sides raised an eyebrow.

"That's how I altered it," She turned around and gestured to her back. She heard a slight gasp from Sides and fingers barely brush her back. Holding back a shiver and a blush, she turned back around to face Sides, "See?"

"You did that?"

Harley nodded.

"That's to cool."

Harley blushed a little from embarassment. It was a quick fix to make the shirt smaller so it would fit better. It wasn't anything special.

"Dino! There you are!" Lia came up behind Harley. She turned and faced the small girl.

"Sorry, Pix, I got bored waiting for you so I went for a walk. I had my head down and ran smack into this guy when I turned a corner," She poked Sides in the chest and he laughed.

'_He must be buff. At least on the chest, 'cause that hurt my finger..._' Harley thought randomly. Not much hurt her so he must have a really hard chest to make her finger crack when she poked him.

"I see. So you ready? Your uncle and the Doc says you're okay to leave," Harley nodded.

"Hey! Do you guys have a ride?" Sides asked randomly. They both shook their heads, "Do you want me to give you one? A-a ride to the city that is!"

He slightly stuttered and blushed. Harley quirked an eyebrow and Lia had to hold back a laugh.

'_That didn't sound wrong at __all,_' Harley thought to herself sarcastically.

"Sure, Sides. I don't think they'll miss you for to long," Lia smiled. Sides smiled and nodded.

"I'll just go tell Optimus and Sunny. I'll meet you two out front?" The girls nodded and Sides turned on his heel and ran down the corridor. Laughing and shaking her head, Harley walked with Lia. They babbled about nothing until they reached the living quarters front doors. Pulling open the door, Harley noticed it was very cloudy and very humid. Rubbing the back of her suddenly aching neck, she suddenly felt something jerk at her head. Stopping, she closed her eyes momentarily and rubbed them.

"_Daddy! Why does my neck hurt?_" A 7-year-old girl asked her father. Harley looked around and saw that she was standing on a porch to a nice, quaint little house. The girl ran up to her father and he picked her up, laughing and rubbing the back of his daughters neck.

"_It's the humidity, my dear Harley,_" He smiled. Wait, did he say Harley? She walked closer to them and gasped. It was her and her father when she was 7.

'_I... I remember this!_' She thought. It was buried deep, but she found the memory.

Popping open her eyes, she saw a worried Lia.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Y-yeah. I just got a memory..."

"You did?" Lia smiled, "What was it about?"

"When I was 7 and I asked my dad why my neck hurts. He said it was the humidity. And that was the end of the memory."

Lia nodded and continued to smile, "I guess your memory is being a tough cookie. It's revealing itself little by little. Well, don't push it. We'll see Dr. Ratchet when we get back."

Harley nodded and walked after Lia. They ran into Sides halfway down the airplane strip.

"So?" Lia asked.

"I can go," He nodded with a smile. Lia squealed and jumped up and down.

"Yay! Now we get a guys opinions on how we look!" She grabbed Sides by the wrist and began to drag him. He snatched Harley by her wrist and began to drag her.

"H-hey! Let me go!" Harley laughed.

"Not until she does!" Sides jerked his head in the direction of the over-excited Lia.

"Hey Pix, let Sides go! It's not like we're going any faster back here!" Harley laughed when Lia turned around to glare at her, but eventually let Sides go. Sides held onto Harley's wrist a second longer before letting it go slowly. A slight blush dusted her cheeks as they made small talk to the car bay. Sides walked up to his car and once Harley caught sight of it, she stopped dead in her tracks. The car was _gorgeous_.

"Is that yours?" She questioned Sides quietly with wide-eyes. He opened the door and it lifted up, looking at Harley and nodding.

"You don't like it?" He asked, panicking slightly. Harley slowly shook her head and stepped towards the car.

"How the _hell _were you able to get your hands on a 2o11 Lamborghini Murcielago LP64o?" She glanced at Sides. He looked startled.

"How did you know what model it was?" Sides stepped away from the driver's seat, "Most people think it's just a Lamborghini."

"_Just _a Lamborghini?" Harley stared in shock at Sides then back at the beautiful yellow vehicle. It was sleek and well built, the corners sharp and perfectly angled to get the fastest and smoothest ride, "This thing is freaking _amazing_. The engine on it must be top notch. Do you... mind?"

She gestured to the hood. She wanted to look at the engine. Sides shook his head with a smile and popped the hood. Harley gasped. Even the engine was beautiful. Lia came up beside her.

"It's just a a Lambo. Nothing special."

Harley got whiplash for the second time that day. She looked at Lia increduolous, "Nothing special? The Lamborghini Murcielago LP64o's engine has a 6.5L V-12 DOC with variable valve timing and four valves per cylinder. It has a 291 mile life-span if it's tank is completely filled with a Multi-point fuel injection _and _a 26.4 gallon fuel tank. That's a lot of gas for a sports car like this. Not to mention the horsepower it has. It has 67o freaking horsepower at 8,ooo RPM's and about 487 pounds of torque at 6,5oo RPM. All in all, the car is gorgeous, powerful, and _fast_. It's a beautiful specimen."

Harley patted the car on the side and lowered the hood carefully. She turned to a wide-eyed and wide-mouthed Lia and Sides.

"What?"

"How did you know all that?" Sides asked, amazed.

"I'm a total car junkie. I'm sorry if I have offended you," She held up her hands in surrender. Sides shook his head, laughing at how much she knew about... well, the car he was. No one had been able to tell anything about the car just by looking at the engine. Lia shook her head.

"I see the old Harley coming out more and more. You'd spend all of your days either at my house or at the local garage, helping the guys out with the cars. Justin always liked that," She nudged Harley in the ribs and winked. Harley rolled her eyes and walked to the passenger side of the car.

"You two coming or not?" She smiled and climbed into the back of the yellow Lamborghini. She noticed as she walked around the edge of the car that it had a bit of deep charcoal pin striping along the side. It was subtle but definitely gave the car character. After placing the passenger seat back, both Sides and Lia slid in. Harley buckled her seat belt and sat in the middle so that she could talk to them if needed. Sides turned on the car and Harley smiled at the sound. It was a lovely purr and Sides revved the engine a little. Laughing a little, Harley smacked his shoulder, "Don't do that, you can tear up the tread."

"I know," Sides laughed a little as well and pulled out of the car lot. She had been so into the Lamborghini, she failed to notice the other cars there. Another red Lamborghini, a yellow Camaro with black racing stripes, a large blue Peterbilt Semi with red flames, a green TRAX, a red BEAT, a yellow Hummer with med decals, a large charcoal TopKick, and three motorbikes parked alongside the rest of them. One was red, another purple, and the last blue. Where in the world did the people get the money to get these kinds of cars? Sides passed through the check pointe and began to speed around the winding road. He pressed a button and the top began to fold into itself.

"No way," Harley smiled and watched the Lamborghini turn into a convertible, "To freaking cool!"

"I didn't know it could do that!" Lia laughed and threw her hands into the air, "Whoo!"

Harley threw her head back and enjoyed the air rushing over her skin and through her hair. It may have been cloudy and humid, but it was cooler than yesterday. Sighing, she looked in the front of the car to see Sides smiling at her in the rearview mirror and Lia just having a blast. They all enjoyed the breeze until Sides got closer to town. He brought the top back up and slowed down considerably, getting within the city limits.

"I think theres an outlet towards the centre of town," Lia said, looking out the window for any indication of the plaza for the outlet. Sides nodded and weaved his way along the cars. Pulling into a half-full parking lot, he opened the doors. He was out before Lia so he popped his seat up so Harley could climb out.

"Thanks," She smiled when he held out a hand for her to take. She used it as leverage and climbed easily out of the car. He closed the doors and locked it. Harley patted the hood of the car as she walked by and it still felt warm to her hand. She followed Lia into the outlet and Sides behind her, looking at everything in awe. Lia giggled and tugged on both their arms, pulling them into store after store.

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><p>After several hours (and heavy bags) later, they all collapsed onto a bench.<p>

"I don't see how you girls can do it!" Sides complained, rubbing the back of his neck and groaning. Lia and Harley giggled.

"It's built into our system," Lia shrugged, "Anyways, we have one last store to go to."

"Why?" Sides groaned.

"You volunteered to take us into town, we didn't say you had to stay," Harley laughed.

"Because I didn't want to make the trip a second time, but now I'm regretting it," Sides complained but laughed as well. Lia stood up and tugged on Harley's hand.

"We have to get you a dress!"

"Uhh, why?" Harley inquired, quirking an eyebrow and getting up slowly with her bags.

"Because at NEST, we have an annual dinner and dance," Lia smiled. Harley looked at Sides and he held up his hands.

"She speaks the truth," He got up, "We have it because it gives the soldiers a chance to see their families as well as have a little fun. It's semi-formal and we all have to dress up. The chef's make this big, fanciful feast and then we have a classic dance. When that's over, all the younger recruits and the teenagers of the soldiers go to another hangar and have an afterparty that they enjoy while the older recruits and parents relax. They usually party into the early morning so everyone has a day off to recollect and get rid of their hangovers."

"Ah," Harley nodded. Lia had dragged her into a formal wear store. There were massive dresses as well as short, kind of skanky looking dresses.

"How about this one?" Lia pulled out a very large, very poofy, very _glittery _pink dress. Harley took one look at it an nearly hurled.

"No thanks. It ain't Halloween yet, and I'm not planning on going as the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz, thank you very much," Harley laughed and continued to look at the dresses. Lia kept bugging her with the grand dresses, the ones that were huge and poofy and definitely attention getting. Harley hated being the centre of attention. Sides had been walking around quietly, looking at dresses he thought Harley would like. After 45 minutes, Harley gave up, "There's nothing here for me!"

"Try this one on," Sides tossed her a dress. It was short and had tulle, but it was bunched so she couldn't really see it. Lia shoved her into a dressing room with 5 other dresses and she heard her go into the dressing room next to hers. Sighing, it looked like Harley didn't have a choice. Placing the dress Sides tossed at her on one side of the dressing room, she decided to tackle the dresses Lia picked out for her.

"To big. To small," She began to file through two dresses. The deep blue one with the ruffles was to big. The bright orange one with the short skirt and deep v-cut was to tight. She tried on the beige one and decided that she looked like she was a walking coffee beverage. The yellow one with the feathers made her look like a bird and the green one was just an ugly color on her. She walked out for Sides and Lia each time and they agreed with her. Whenever she looked over at Lia, the dress she had on always looked pretty on her. Compared with her pretty pale skin, wide baby doll blue eyes, and her long pale hair, Harley looked like a dark, short haired, violet eyed girl who was slightly buff. Definitely _not _pretty in her mind. Sighing, Harley sat down in the chair in the dressing room.

"Don't worry, Dino, I'm sure we'll find one for you!" She heard Lia call from the next dressing room.

'_Yeah, right..._' She then caught the sight of the dress Sides tossed at her in the corner. Picking it up and hanging it up, she gasped slightly. It was a deep chocolately color with a white band to seperate the top and bottom in an empire fashion. On the top, there were thin and very intricate white designs, intertwining and looping over one another very prettily. Towards the bottom, she saw the white tulle peeking out. Shrugging, she figured she had nothing to lose. Slipping out of the gnarly green dress, she slipped on the brown one and zipped it up. Taking a deep breath, she turned and gasped. The brown color complimented her skin perfectly and made her violet eyes pop. It made her legs look elegant and long (seeing as it cut off mid-thigh) and the white band tied exactly where her waist was, so it made her waist tinier and gave her an hourglass shape. All-in-all, it made her look gorgeous.

"C'mon, Harley! I wanna see! I heard you gasp so I know it's something good!" Lia giggled and tapped on the door. Harley shook her head and unlocked it. Lia opened it slowly and looked at her, gasping herself, "Oh, my gosh, Harley. You look so pretty!"

A light blush dusted her cheeks. Lia walked in and closed the door.

"Take it off before Sides comes back! I don't want him to see before the formal!" She giggled and helped Harley out of the dress. Putting it on the hangar, she ran out of the dressing room, "Leave the dresses! The ladies will clean them out."

Harley followed the excited girl and saw Sides outside talking to a few girls. She felt a jab at her stomach and her fists clench a little. Blinking at what she was doing, Harley looked at her hand that was just clenched.

'_Am I jealous? Why?_' She looked over at Sides, laughing with the girls. It did make her stomach clench again and taste bile in her mouth. Lia came up beside her with her bag and froze.

"What is he _doing_?" Lia hissed, grabbing Harley by the wrist and trudging up to Sides and the girls. There was 3 girls, all tall, blonde, and well 'equipped'. One had curly blonde hair and green eyes with freckles. One had long straight hair that went past her hips and blue eyes. And the last one had medium length blonde hair with a flower in it and brown eyes. The one with the brown eyes was talking to Sides when the two walked up, "Sides? We're done."

Harley had never heard so much venom in Lia's voice. She was glaring daggers at the girl with the brown eyes and she glared back. Then she saw Harley.

"Harley!" She said with a sickly sweet voice, "You've come back!"

She went to go hug Harley but Lia stepped in front of her, looking comparitively shorter compared to her and the other girl.

"Oh, come on Li-Li, I wanna see my friend," She feigned being hurt. Harley quirked an eyebrow.

"1. Don't call me that, 2. Harley isn't your friend, and 3. I suggest you get away from us before I kick your ass," Lia sneered with as much viciousness she could muster. It scared even Harley. What could she do? A brief flash of fear flashed in the other girls eyes before standing up straight and backing away.

"Fine, have it your way. Ladies," She turned to the other girls and they crowded around her. After a moment of conversing, the lead one smiled, "Good to see you ladies again. Hope to see you soon."

They began to walk away, but before Lia could relax, the girl with the brown eyes grabbed Sides by the collar of his shirt and kissed him fiercely. Something jabbed in Harley's stomach and she felt the tears bubbling up in the back of her throat. She felt Lia stiffen next to her and saw her fists clench. Harley swallowed the tears and they were replaced by anger. Sides hadn't moved, didn't close his wide-open eyes, nor place a hand on her but she kept kissing him. Harley's jaw clenched and she felt a slight headache coming on. Rubbing her temple with two fingers on her right hand, she closed her eyes. The headache was coming on a lot stronger by each minute.

"Hey, Pix," She said softly, "Can we wrap it up here? I'm getting a major headache."

"Yeah," Lia said quietly before turning to the girl still kissing Sides, "Hannah get your grimy hands off of him!"

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it?" Harley heard the girl, Hannah, snicker, "Anyways, we gotta go. Call me, sexy."

Harley felt sick now, between the headache and the girl. She felt Lia leave her side for a second and then return, easing her arm forward and pulling.

"Come on, Dino," She said soothingly, "Lets get you back to the base."

She felt the bags lift from her arms and an arm wrap around her waist.

"I got you, don't worry," She heard Sides say. Harley still had her eyes closed and didn't open them until they got to the car. She opened them slightly to crawl into the back. Pressing her side into the seat, she dug her face into the leather. Sides left the top up and talked with Lia as quietly as possible on the way back. Harley felt the seats compress and depress several times on her back. She figured it was a massage system that was put into the seats (since she's been in cars with them before) so she didn't really pay attention to it. She wavered in and out of conciousness several times before they pulled into the base.

"Lets get you to Ratchet," Sides said. Harley barely nodded and sucked it up. Lifting her head up, she opened her eyes and puffed out her chest. She hated showing weakness. Her headache had eased since they had left the plaza and she despised showing Sides and Lia her down side. Turning to the two who looked worriedly at her, Harley smiled.

"I thank you for helping me. I'm sorry that you had to see that," She shrugged and turned half-way, "I'm going to go see the Doc if you want to follow."

She began to walk to the med bay and heard Sides and Lia both follow. She wants to know why she got a sudden, massive headache. And why her memories are only coming back in spots.

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><p><strong>an: well... didn't expect that o.o**

**alice: your the author, how do you _not _expect something like that?**

**me: i dunno**

**alice =.=**

**me: anyways! :D**

**how do you think the formal is going to go?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


	7. Formal

**a/n: hey guys! :)**

**alice: we're going to make this short cause she's hella tired and _still _wants to write another chapter to her other story =_=**

**me: Yep! :D (yawns) anyways, here's chapter 7. sorry if it's a little slow throughout some parts. I promise i'm getting to the good part soon! you just have to read this first :)**

**alice: oh, and to those saying that sides is red and sunny is yellow, she's the author so deal with it!**

**me: shut up alice. i tried the story with sides being red and sunny yellow, to me it didn't sound right so i just had sides yellow and sunny as red. if you guys like, i'll change it so it's easier for you to red :)**

**alice: no! you're the author! they'll read it as sunny as red, sides as yellow whether they like it or not!**

**me: really, it's up to ya'll. anyways, here's chapter 7! :D**

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><p><span>Chapter 7: Formal<span>

Sighing, Harley fussed with the shower dial. How the hell is she supposed to know how it works? Lia had to go out to help her Uncle with the food and Harley was stuck trying to figure how to work the damned thing. After 2o minutes of pulling, tugging, and twisting, she gave up.

"This is to complicated!" She threw her hands up and walked into her room, sitting on her bed to cool herself off. It was really humid out. She watched the weather channel and it said there was this huge storm cell moving in, "Freaking fantastic..."

Hearing someone knock at the door, Harley got up, pulled her robe tighter to her, and walked over to the door.

"Yes?" She said as she opened the door. She was met face-to-face with a chest and she looked up at the owner, a slight gasp escaping her. It was Optimus. He looked down at her and their eyes locked. She felt something pull at her in her chest and she broke eye contact with him, looking at his shoulder with a slight blush, "C-can I help you?"

"Is Lia here?" He asked quietly, almost dazed. Harley shook her head.

"She's helping out my uncle," She was able to look at him again. He had a calm look on his face and it didn't freak Harley out anymore, "Though I wish she was here to help me."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"I can't get the darned shower to work," She laughed a little. Optimus nodded.

"If I may?" He gestured a hand. Harley nodded and moved to the side, allowing Optimus to pass. She followed him into the bathroom and watched as he looked at the dial on the shower's wall. He reached out, twisted it completely around once and pulled it out. The shower turned on.

"How did you do that?" Harley exclaimed. She had spent a good half hour trying to get it to turn on and Optimus comes in and turns it on in less than 5 seconds, "Not fair!"

Optimus chuckled and raised an eyebrow at her. She pouted and crossed her arms.

"What's not fair?"

"The shower likes you better!" She continued to pout. Optimus chuckled again and ruffled her hair.

"I don't think that's it. You just don't know how to work it," Harley raised an eyebrow but nodded. Optimus then fished something out of his pocket, "When Lia gets back, can you give this to her?"

Harley reached out and grabbed the envelope, their skin brushing briefly. Jerking back, Harley could've sworn a spark passed between them.

_Literally_.

She saw a light pass between his hand and hers. Looking up at him, Optimus looked as puzzled as her, but eventually shook his head and gave her a crooked smile.

"I'll be on my way. I'll see you at the formal?" He questioned as he looked at her. Harley was still quizzing over the spark, but nodded anyways. Optimus smiled again and left the small apartment, the door clicking quietly behind him.

'_What the hell was that?_' Harley asked as she removed her robe and stepped into the shower.

"Ack! Hot, hot, hot!" She danced around a little as she fiddled with the dial, seeing which direction was hot and cold. She turned the dial in the opposite direction and sighed happily when the water cooled considerably. Feeling grimy, Harley took an extra 1o minutes to scrub her hair and body down. She looked at her arm and saw the prick where the Doc had drawn blood from her the day before.

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><p>"<em>Hey doc,<em>" She said as she walked into the med bay. Ratchet was at his computer when he looked up and smiled at Harley.

"_Ahh, what can I do for you, Harley? You weren't supposed to come until later,_" He said while getting up. He looked at Lia and Sides as they walked up behind Harley with worried looks, "_What's wrong?_"

"_We were at the mall and suddenly Harley gets attacked by a massive headache,_" Lia said, wringing her hands nervously, "_She got really pale and she looked really bad._"

"_I got really pale?_" Harley turned to look at her and both Lia and Sides nodded furiously.

"_You still are,_" Sides pointed out. She shrugged and felt a tug on her elbow.

"_On the table now, please,_" Dr. Ratchet said sternly. Harley complied and lied down on the table. At that point, she didn't think she had the energy to sit up, let alone argue with them. The doctor took out a needle and pricked her left arm, seeing as her right was still healing. He drew blood silently and Lia and Sides watched just as quiet. He put it in the machine that checked for impurities and such and waited. Harley was dozing off, now weak from the headache from earlier and the blood drawn. She vaguely heard the computer ding and the doc do some typing.

"_Do you know what's wrong?_" Lia asked quietly.

"_Yes.. but no.._" The doctor sounded perplexed.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Harley struggled to stay awake to hear but it proved increasingly difficult.

"_What do you mean?_" Sides asked. She could physically feel his head tilt to the side. Now she was drifting in and out of conciousness. Harley could barely make out the words 'Energon' and 'Permanent' before completely blacking out.

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><p>The water had run to freezing cold by the time Harley snapped back to reality and turned the water off sucessfully. Wrapping a fuzzy red towel around herself, she walked to the mirror in the adjacent room and wiped off any steam that had formed there. She looked at herself. She had gotten plumper since her arrival. Her cheeks were filled out and healthier looking. Even though her hair was plastered to her neck and shoulders, Harley could tell that it wasn't as matted or gnarly looking as she had arrived. In only a few days, Harley couldn't see her ribs nor hip bones as they used to be. There wasn't as much food at the Decepticon base for her health so she had to do with what they had, which meant slicing the calorie intake nearly 75% percent less than what she should've been taking in.<p>

Sighing, she put on her undergarments and walked into her bedroom, pulling out an old tank top and night shorts. Walking back into the bathroom, Harley shook her head. Lia had placed out a mecca of make-up, brushes, barrettes, flowers, curlers, and many more things for her face and hair. Glancing at the clock mounted on the wall, Harley saw that the dinner didn't start until 7 and it was 4 now.

'_Better early than late_,' She shrugged and turned on a music channel on the t.v. Might as well have fun while doing it. Turning on the hair dryer, she brushed through her hair roughly and then began to dry it. Her hair was fluffy and soft by the time it was completely done. Tilting her head this way and that, Harley looked at the piles and piles of hair decals. She didn't want anything to attention-grabbing, but she wants something to get _some _attention. Filing through the piles, Harley's fingers brushed by something soft and feathery. Picking it up, she turned the barrette over several times. It had a clip on the back so it's for easy application. It was a flower, but the petals were feathers and were a pretty butterscotch color and there were deep chocolate spots on the petals, resulting in it looking like a cheetah pattern. There were two long deep chocolate ribbon tassles that hung down and curled slightly. Deciding it would go with her dress perfectly, she set the barrette aside and looked through the make up.

After 5 minutes of sorting through the various colors of eyeshadows and blushes, Harley settled on a matte pallete with different oranges, browns, and yellows. They were warm colors and were sure to compliment her skin tone. Walking out of the bathroom for a moment, she looked at the clock and noticed it took about 45 minutes to completely dry her hair. It also took about 1o minutes to find the barette and 5 minutes to pick out just her eyeshadow and blush. It had taken an hour already just to pick stuff out of the piles from Lia! Freaking out a little, she hurriedly set her dress and heels on her bed and pulled out her phone. Her uncle had given it to her the day she got there in case of emergencies or she wanted to talk to Lia and she wasn't around. Flipping it open, Harley turned it on and walked back into the bathroom.

**Hey. Where are u? We only hav a few more hrs till the dance!**

Harley placed the phone on the counter and hooked up the ringlet curling iron. The phone buzzed while she waited.

**Hey. Srry. Ur uncle has some... cooking issues. Needed some mjr cleaning help.**

Harley laughed quietly and grabbed some hairspray, lightly dusting her hair with it, she set to curling. After a few curls, Harley picked up the phone and texted her back.

**Well, thats not good! :P anyways, i would like to kno wen ur getting back so i can plug in anything or set up.**

Harley didn't want her hair full of ringlets, so she curled the hair that was the lowest on her (which ended just above her shoulders) and then straightened her bangs. Her phone buzzed but as she was about to reach for it, the front door burst open.

"I'm ho-o-ome!" Lia sang out. Harley laughed and then took a good look at her.

"Good Lord, what the hell happened to you?" She began to laugh harder and Lia put a hand on her hip.

"Why, I have no idea what you're talking about!" She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and walked towards her bed.

"Right, says the girl who is covered in head-to-toe in _flour_," It was true. Lia looked like a ghost with all the flour pasted to her skin, hair, and clothes. She walked back into the bathroom and into the adjacent room with the shower with a towel in hand.

"Whatever. I'm taking a shower," She said, not bothering to close the door. Lia has been friends with Harley since they were little, they've seen each other naked more than once.

"By the way, Optimus came by earlier," Harley said, making small talk and fixing her hair. The curls began to deflate so she put mousse in her hair and set to re-curling it.

"Oh? Did ya'll have a moment?" Lia teased as she tossed her sticky clothes into the dirty clothes bin on the opposite side of the bathroom before stepping into the shower.

"Uhm... a little one," Harley got quiet as she remembered the tugging in her chest when the two locked eyes. It was like it was drawing her to him, to be near him. It was odd, nothing like that has ever happened to her. Lia giggled from the shower.

"Really?"

"Yeah... Anyways, that's not why I wanted to tell you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he gave me an envelope and said it was for you."

"Really? Did he tell you what it was?"

"Mmm, nope," She popped the 'p' and heard Lia talk to herself for a while. After a moment, Harley finally had her hair curled the way she wanted to and applied the heavy hairspray, hoping it wouldn't deflate.

'_Onto the make up,_' She thought to herself.

"Hey, Dino?"

"Yeah?"

"What time is it?"

Harley looked at the phone, pressing a button and watched the numbers light up.

"5:3o."

"God, it's that late already? 'Kay, I'm going to need your help with my hair."

"'Kay," She heard the water switch off and watched her friend pass by her quickly, drying her hair furiously with one towel while another was wrapped around her hips. Her bra was half clipped on and she was running like a madwoman around their room.

"God, where did everything go?" She heard Lia run into something, "Ow..."

Laughing, Harley exited the bathroom and helped her friend up. Clipping the bra together, Harley passed her a tank top and shorts.

"Why don't I just wear a t-shirt?" Lia asked as she yanked on the shorts.

"'Cause then you'd have to pull it over your head and muss up your hair!" Harley smiled and walked into the bathroom, pulling a seat up to the counter. After a moment, Lia walked in and sat down with a smile. It took her a good 45 minutes to dry most of Lia's hair (She had so much of it!) and then she had to let it air dry, "Why do you have so much hair?"

"Cause I do!" Lia laughed and began to sort through the make-up.

"What color is your dress?" Harley didn't even see it since Lia took off with hers so fast in the mall.

"Red. It goes with my complexion," Harley nodded and walked out to see it. She was right. It was red. The dress was a deep red and very silky. It was flowy and ended probably mid-shin on her. The top part was poofed out a little and it was spaghetti strap. There was a layer of sparkly red fabric atop of the dress' skirt itself. It was different compared to hers. Glancing at the dress on her bed, she never really noticed how deep the heart-shaped cut it was nor how poofy it was, but it did compliment her skin color and it did wonders to her shape, so she just shrugged it off. Walking back into the bathroom, she tried to envision what kind of hair she wanted Lia to have.

"Aha!" She said a bit loudly, scaring Lia a little.

"'Aha!' what?" Lia questioned, looking at a bright pallette of make-up. Harley began to put the spiral curlers in her hair after applying mousse.

"Nothing," She smiled. She then picked up a brush and turned Lia around, "How do you want you're make-up?"

"You're the stylist. You always were," Lia smiled and Harley hestitated a little before picking up the pallette. Applying primer, Harley spent a good 15 minutes on Lia's make-up. Touching up her lips and eyes, she turned Lia to the mirror. Standing up, Lia inspected her make-up with a bright smile, "God, you know how to work wonders!"

Harley had applied a bright yellow eyeshadow to the inside of the eye and it faded into a bright red toward the outer corners of her eyes. She applied rhinestones from the inner corner of her eye and followed it out on a thin strip of black liquid eyeliner. Barely dusting her cheeks with a rouge, Harley put a soft pink gloss on Lia's lips after lining it with a soft brown. She wanted all the attention to be on Lia's eyes. The colors made her blue eyes pop even more. Harley stood up and then fiddled with the curlers.

"Sit still, I gotta get these out," Lia didn't want to sit still, though. She was bouncing up and down, giggling like a little girl, and chattering excitedly. Harley was having a hard time removing the curlers.

"I heard that Justin will be there. You know? From the garage? His brother works here. Oh! What if Charlie goes? I haven't seen him in forever! Tobias is being a party pooper and stubborn, not wanting to go. Who are you looking forward to seeing?" Harley was concentrating to much on the curlers, so she didn't really notice the question at first.

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Who are you looking forward to seeing?" Lia repeated the question. She then got a sly smile on, "Who are you going to _dance _with?"

"What do you mean?" Harley asked cautiously, raising an eyebrow as she wrestled with the last curler.

"Optimus or Sides?"

"W-what?" Harley flushed a deep red while running some styling gel through Lia's hair.

"Are you going to dance with Optimus," She held up one hand, "Or Sides?" She held up the other.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," She stuttered slightly as she styled Lia's bangs. Harley reached for the hairspray and began to spray Lia's hair, covering her eyes and face as she sprayed around the area.

"Whatever," Lia laughed and Harley turned the seat around again so Lia could see herself, "Wow. You still haven't lost your touch."

She was smiling ear to ear. Lia had her hair fashioned in soft waves that framed her face and shoulders prettily. Her bangs were swept up and placed with a small black flower barrette just above her ear. Lia pulled Harley into a tight hug and ran off into the other room.

"Hurry Harley! We have 3o minutes left!"

"'Kay!" Harley turned to her pallette and began to work on her face. She ended up with a natural look, just a bit of a smokey eye effect. She put a pretty gold in the center of her eyelid that faded into a brown that was a few shades darker than her skin color. Pulling out the liquid eyeliner, she made one strip of black and created a cat-eye effect, making her violet eyes pop against the black. Putting on a little bit of bronzer to give the apples of her cheeks a pretty shine, Harley lined her lips with a deep chocolate brown color and made them look fuller than they already were. Applying a soft beige lip gloss, she checked herself in the mirror. She thought she looked fine. Reaching for the clip, she put it right above her temple on the right side of her head, next to her bangs. Nodding, Harley walked out of the bedroom. Lia looked at her and smiled.

"You look so pretty!" Harley blushed again. Going over to her dress, she pulled her tank down and shorts with them. Stepping into her dress, she wiggled it up and turned to Lia.

"A little help?" She smiled and Lia came over laughing. Harley sucked in her tummy but saw no need as the zipper went up easily. Smiling, she tied the bow easily in the back and twirled for Lia, "So?"

"They won't be able to take their eyes off of you," Lia laughed at the confused look on Harley's face, "I mean Optimus and Sides."

Blushing a deep color once more, Harley helped Lia get into her dress.

"Why are you nagging me about them?"

"'Cause they nag me about you!" Lia smiled. Harley tilted her head to the side, really confused now.

"What? Why would they?"

"Cause they like you, duh!" Harley flushed a red again and shook her head.

"Nah. I don't think so," Lia stopped putting on her black pumps and looked at her.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Nope," Harley popped the 'p' again as she put on a pretty silver necklace. It had a long chain and a heart pendant on the end with wings. It ended an inch or two above the ending of the dip in her heart-shaped dress. Fixing her hair one last time, she turned to Lia who still stared at her with a half opened mouth, "What?"

"Have you, like, _not _been paying attention?" She strapped her other heel on and walked over to Harley.

"Hey! You look almost normal sized!" Harley joked but was lost to her friends gaze.

"The way Sides looks at you, the way he is around you, the way he always wants to see you. He _really _likes you," She held up her hand while walking in front of Harley just as she sat down on the bed to put on her stappy black heels. Lia then turned around and paced the other way with the other hand up, "On the other hand, whenever you and Optimus are together, you two just _go._ You guys have such chemistry, even your uncle noticed it when Optimus took you to our room. Twice!"

Harley stopped, "What do you mean '_twice_'?"

"He took you to our room yesterday when you passed out on the gurney. You were so wiped. When he picked you up, you ended up snuggling closer to his chest," Harley flushed a really deep red, "I swear, if Sides could've, he would've taken you straight out of his arms! You're so lucky, having two awesome, amazing, really _cute _guys fighting over you!"

"I wouldn't say they're _fighting_..."

"Bull. That's Bull!" Lia laughed and walked into the bathroom. They had a few minutes until the dinner since no one arrives when it just starts. Lia grabbed her mini purse and placed a few things in it. While rubbing her hand up and down the side of the skirt, she found that she had a pocket.

"Woah! To cool!" She giggled and she put her phone in her pocket.

"What?"

"I have a pocket!" Harley pointed to her skirt.

"Lucky," Lia grumbled when she saw it. Harley laughed and linked their arms.

"You ready?"

"As I'll ever be!" They both laughed and exited the room. Even though Harley hadn't worn heels at all at the Decepticon base, she felt very natural wearing them. Walking to the hangar where the dinner was going to be held (she still didn't know what all the hangars names were), she noticed it was further than the Med Bay.

"It's a far walk, huh?" Lia nodded.

"Easier access for outsiders," Harley nodded as well and they continued to walk. They ended up seeing a familiar head of yellow near the door. Lia waved wildly, "Sides!"

He looked over at them and smiled, jogging over. He sported a grey dress shirt and black pants. His black tie was left untied and around his neck. Even though his hair contrasted starkly with his choice of colors, the man could pull off the look, "Hey! Can you help me with my tie? I can't tie 'em."

Sides chuckled while scratching the back of his neck, embarassed. Lia looked up at him.

"Sorry, can't tie ties," She shrugged and walked off. Harley raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

"She's lying. I can tell," She smiled at Sides and reached for his tie, "Allow me to help."

Tieing his tie for him, Harley hadn't noticed how close she had stepped until she was done. She looked up at him and their noses barely brushed by. Her breath hitched as they stared into each others eyes. It wasn't like this when she stared at Optimus. There wasn't anything pulling at her in her chest, nothing drawing her to him. Breaking the stare, they both blushed and looked in opposite directions.

"We should, ahem, we should get inside, huh?" Sides asked, stuttering a little over his words. Harley smiled and nodded. Sides held out an arm, bowing, "If I may, my fair lady."

Giggling, Harley smiled and curtseyed before placing a hand on his arm, "You may, kind sir."

They walked towards the hangar where laughter and soft music could be heard, but before they could reach it, Harley heard a voice she hoped she'd never have to hear again.

"Oh, Sides!" Harley turned and raised an eyebrow at the blonde bombshell she had seen just the day before bound up. She was sporting a very tight, very _short _red dress.

'_Pix is gonna hate knowing that her and Hannah are wearing the same color,_' Harley pushed down the urge to throw up as she thought the name. Hannah came up, purposefully bouncing to make sure everything she had, well, bounced. Her hair was down and curled slightly and she caked a lot of heavy make-up on. She looked like... well... a slut.

"Hannah, what are you doing here?" Sides sounded extremely surprised. Harley dropped her hand from his arm and placed it on her hip.

"Yeah, that's what I'd like to know," She raised an eyebrow at Hannah. Hannah turned and looked surprised.

"Harley! I didn't see you there!" She said in a high voice, pulling Harley into a bone crushing hug. After letting go, she turned to Sides and hugged him for a little to long. Sighing, Harley shook her head.

"I'll see you inside, Sides," She smiled softly, waved, and turned, walking into the hangar without another word.

'_What am I doing?_' She thought to herself as she sat down at one of the white clad tables. There were several small round tables around a dance floor placed in the middle of the hangar. The dancefloor was brightly lit whereas every place else was dim. There were vines of different, brightly colored flowers ranging from daisies to snapping dragons hanging up on the rafters and a bouquet of flowers in the middle of each table. On the far end was a large buffett with a large line of people and a drink station next to it. Towards the head of the dancefloor was the DJ station. Harley choose a table towards the back, away from everyone. She placed her chin in her open hand, '_I'm here on a mission. Why am I messing around with boys and dances?_'

'_Because these people are your friends. You deserve to have a little fun with them,_' A little voice reasoned in the back of her mind. She talked to it occasionally when she was conflicted.

'_Yeah, but I'm here on a mission for the Decepticons against the people who work for the Autobots, the bad race, remember? They're the ones who betrayed their own race.'_

_'Perhaps the Decepticons are the ones that are bad. The people here have done nothing but be nice to you. The Decepticons wouldn't have given everything that you have been given here. A home, friends, a way to regain your memory..._'

Harley hadn't thought of it that way. But her heart was still loyal to Megatron. After all, all he wanted was to save his race but his brother took his intentions the wrong way and started a useless war. It was his brothers fault, right?

'_Whatever, I'm not talking to you anymore. All you do is feed me lies._'

'_Which ever path you choose to take, make sure you choose with your heart..._' The voice began to fade.

Well, what the hell was that supposed to mean?

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><p><strong>an: ooh, wats gonna happen next? :D looks like Harley finally sees that she has _two _guys goin after her!**

**alice: yeah but she still doesn't believe it**

**me: details details**

**alice: hn, whatever. I hate Hannah by the way**

**me: that's the point. you're not supposed to like her :P**

**How do you guys like Hannah?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


	8. Dance

**a/n: heres chapter 8 for ya'll. sorry for the slow update. i've got to get my hand checked out here soon :/**

**alice: anyways, ya'll despised hannah like ya'll are supposed to :p**

**me: and i'm sorry if i've offended anyone with the name of hannah. i have quite a few good friends named hannah, it was just a random name that popped up :) anyways, enjoy!**

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><p><span>Chapter 8: Dance<span>

Harley had been sitting there for a good 2o minutes, thinking to herself.

'_Which ever path you choose to take, make sure you choose with your heart..._'

She was confused. Didn't people tell you to _not _choose with your heart? Running a hand through her bangs, she heard a chair slide out beside her. Turning, Harley smiled when she saw Lia there but quickly quirked an eyebrow at the scowl on her friends face.

"Okay, what crawled up your dress and bit you in the ass?" She gave an attempt at a joke but it was lost to her friend sighing and flopping her forehead into her open palm, "What's wrong, Pix? Tell me."

"It's Hannah and her cat crew."

Cat crew? Harley quirked an eyebrow.

"Do I wanna know?"

"It's a nicer word compared to a few select words that I really wanna call them right now," Lia growled. Harley nodded and leaned back, letting her friend breathe. Lia sighed and looked up at Harley with a soft smile, "They're just getting under my skin like they used to. I thought I saw the last of them a few years ago around the time you disappeared, but I guess not."

Lia gave a hollow laugh and Harley looked at her friend sympathetically.

"What did they do tonight?"

"Agnes is basically humping Sunny on the dancefloor," She saw Lia's fist clench slightly as she turned to the dancefloor and got sick at the sight. Lia was right. Poor Sunny was trying to leave but the girl from the mall with the long blonde hair and blue eyes, Agnes, had her arms coiled tightly around his neck and looked like she was... well... humping him. Harley had to stifle a laugh at his disgusted expression. Lia hit her in the elbow.

"Ow!"

"It's not funny!" Lia tried to say sternly but failed miserably when a smile crept across her face. She began giggling, "Okay, maybe it's a _little _funny."

"A little?" Harley began laughing while Lia laughed along with her.

"Okay, _really _funny!" Lia said after the two could finally catch their breath. Looking back over at the dance floor, she saw that Sunny had finally released Agnes' death grip from his neck. He loosened his tie and looked for a place to hide when she began to look for him. He saw Lia and Harley and practically ran over.

"_Please _hide me!" He begged, looking over his shoulder. Lia looked at Harley just as she did the same.

"I dunno, should we Pix?"

"I dunno, Dino..."

"Come on! Please!" He pleaded. Harley smirked and held up the skirt to the table.

"Under," She saw his face lit up as he dove under the table. She released the skirt and both her and Lia moved so that their legs would be in front of it. Agnes came over, searching around frantically before lowering her gaze to the girls. Her cold stare made Harley shiver a bit. She thought _she _was cold and ruthless.

"I bet you're hiding my honeykins, so move," She crossed her arms. Her voice was annoyingly high and it almost hurt Harley's ears.

"No, we ain't hiding you're 'honeykins'," Lia mocked her high voice. Harley giggled and watched as Agnes puff up her chest a little.

"You're just jealous 'cause my honeykins danced with me and not with you," She narrowed her eyes at Lia.

"1. You weren't dancing with him, you were practically humping and choking him and 2. His name is Sunny, _not _honeykins," Lia growled. Agnes huffed and turned on her heel.

"Whatever, like I said, you're just jealous of our relationship," She flipped her hair and stalked off.

"The girl has no figure," Harley mumbled. Lia burst out laughing while Harley just shook her head. It was true! There was no indentation where her hips should be and she had no boobs or butt. She was basically a walking board, "I'm just tellin' it how it is!"

After Agnes was safely out of sight, Harley and Lia scooted their chairs back and lifted the skirt to Sunny in the fetal position.

"Is she gone?" He asked fearfully. Both Harley and Lia nodded and he sighed a breath of relief, crawling from beneath the table. Sunny stood up, fixed his shirt, and turned to Lia, "I was going to ask you to dance with me before one of the gorgons got to me."

Harley stifled a laugh and Lia could do nothing but stare up at him, a bit dazzled at the beginning of the statement. Harley heard Sunny clear his throat a bit conciously and held out a hand.

"Would you like to... dance?" He asked quietly. Harley could see the excitement in her friends eyes as she nodded quietly. Once up, she turned to Harley and gave her a thumbs up. Harley laughed and gave one right back, shaking her head a little. After a few moments of looking around the room, she noticed a open door next to the DJ's booth. Getting up and walking a few feet, she peered out of the door to reveal a patio. It had several stone benches scattered along the edges of the patio. There was a white railing and vines of flowers twisted along the length of the railing. It was almost as big as the hangar! Harley walked to the far end of it, noticing that the ground below it slopes into the forest and she was staring out into an open field. It was dark out, seeing as the sky was extremely cloudy from the storm moving in. She watched as lightening passed through the clouds in the distance, leaning against the railing in the process.

'_I need to complete this mission before I lose the reason as to why I came..._' Harley thought to herself. She's been doing that a lot lately. All she could do was think about the mission and how behind she was in it but then turn around and think that Megatron didn't give her a specific deadline. '_Perhaps I can stall it a bit longer..._'

Biting on her lower lip, she didn't hear a person walk up behind her until they were next to her, leaning against the same railing.

"Hey," She jumped and squeaked, leaping from the railing to glare at the person who scared her half to death.

"Optimus, do you enjoy scaring the crap out of me?" He chuckled and shrugged. Harley couldn't tell what he was wearing very clearly (seeing as it was quite dark out), but it looked like black dress pants and perhaps a deep blue dress shirt.

"It's so easy to do," She narrowed her eyes and leaned against the railing again, looking out into the forest again, "So, you mind telling me why you're out here instead of inside with your friends?"

"I don't exactly enjoy being in a small area with a lot of people rubbing up on each other," She gave a visible shiver. Optimus chuckled and looked out at the forest along with her, "What 'bout you? Why are you out here?"

"Dunno," He shrugged and looked at her, "Something told me to come out here."

Harley was glad now that it was dark so that Optimus couldn't see her blush all that well. Biting her lower lip slightly, Harley looked down at the ground and saw a random squirrel scampering away.

"Squirrel," She smiled.

"What?" Optimus asked, looking at the ground.

"Squirrel," She pointed.

"I don't see it," Harley sighed and shook her head. Getting right next to him, she pointed to where the squirrel was. He followed her arm and then smiled, "Now I do!"

Harley just laughed, "You're even blinder than Lia!"

"I am?" He feigned a hurt expression, "I didn't think I was _that _bad!"

Harley laughed again, this time Optimus joined in. Once she calmed down, she looked back out at the forest.

"It's really pretty here..."

"Wasn't it pretty where you lived the past few years?"

Shit, she forgot her excuse for a moment.

"I guess. A lot of dead trees, y'know? Didn't see a lot of animals there, either..."

"Where did you live?"

"Uhm... Northern Washington," She thought up a state she knew had lots of trees. Apparently it worked since Optimus nodded and looked back out at the forest. They remained quiet for a few more moments, enjoying the quietness of the outside and the soft music drifting from inside the hangar. Optimus bumped his shoulder into Harley's, who was zoning out, and smiled.

"Do you care for a dance?"

"I can't dance..." Harley shook her head.

"C'mon, I bet you're not _that _bad," She sighed and Optimus took her hand in his, leading her to the middle of the patio. He was a considerably taller than her, but she managed to lay a hand on his left shoulder while her right hand was clasped in his left. He gently wrapped an arm around her small waist and they began to sway to the music.

"See, I can't dance," Harley mumbled. Optimus chuckled and lifted her slightly in the air. She squeaked and shut her eyes, leaning into Optimus to prevent herself from falling. She felt his chest rumble in a slight laugh as he lowered her onto the top of his feet. Looking down at their feet, she looked back up at him worriedly, "Aren't I to heavy?"

"You weigh no more than a feather to me," He said softly. Harley blushed slightly again and Optimus began to dance around the patio with Harley on his feet. She felt like a little girl standing on her dad's feet. Smiling, she leant into Optimus' chest, her forehead nestled into the slope of his neck and shoulder. It was the first time in a long time that Harley felt at peace, like nothing was out of place in her life. There was something that was pulling her chest again, refusing to let up whenever she was near him. It was a little uncomfortable, but not painful. Whenever she gave to the pulling, it was almost pleasurable. The song ended and Optimus stopped dancing, allowing her to step off his shoes.

"Thank you," She said softly, looking up at him and locking eyes. His eyes contrasted starkly to the dark clothing he wore and the darkness of the sky, the blue electric against the dark landscape. She felt herself rising up on her feet, the actions weren't concious. She felt his arm wrap around her waist, his hand reaching up to brush a stray piece of hair behind her ear and his fingers lingering on her cheek. Wherever he touched created gooseflesh. Harley felt the tugging get stronger as she watched Optimus' face get closer to hers, her heart feeling as if it would beat right out of her chest. Tilting her head slightly to the side, Harley's eyes flickered over his features before locking on Optimus' eyes once more. Dark skin, high cheekbones, slightly flat nose. Features that suited him very well. She felt her arm go up on its own accord, her left hand resting on the back of his neck, urging his face closer to hers. Closing her eyes slightly, she felt his breathing on her lips. Her own breath hitched when their lips touched.

She knew that she's kissed a guy before, even if her memory was gone, but this was definitely new. It was like the thing that was pulling in her chest had exploded, like it had engulfed the two of them and it was just them two. White light exploded behind her eyelids when they slid closed completely. Her other arm joined the first one and they locked behind his neck. Optimus tilted his own head slightly to the side, they lips melding into each other perfectly. Her head was getting light and she felt like the world was spinning fast, yet slow. Like she was floating but she was grounded. She felt his arms tighten around her waist and her feet lift slightly off the ground.

Then the clouds above decided to open up and create a downpour.

They broke the kiss, jumping back in shock. Harley looked up and bursted out laughing.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" She heard Optimus chuckle and felt his hand on her wrist, tugging her towards shelter.

"C'mon, lets get under some shelter," Harley let herself be led toward the hangar, underneath a small overhang jutting out from the wall. Peering out into the darkness, she laughed.

"How ironic, huh?" She smiled, and then gasped. She reached up to her face, "Oh no! My make-up!"

Then she realized something worse.

"My hair!" She wailed, bringing a hand up and could practically hear it frizzing. She groaned and stamped her foot like a three year old, "Man!"

"You're worried about your hair and make-up?" She heard Optimus ask. She turned to him and saw him raise an eyebrow.

"Yes! Isn't my make-up running?"

"Hmm," He reached a hand up and swiped his thumb underneath her eye, smudging away any trace of running make-up, "Nope."

Harley blushed slightly when his fingers lingered on her cheeks. They heard the DJ say that it was now time for the teenagers to move to the next hangar. Optimus jerked his head towards the open door.

"I guess we should get in there, huh?" Harley smiled and nodded. Optimus smiled and clasped her hand in his, Harley allowing him to tow her inside. Once inside, Harley gasped inwardly, realizing what she had just done. She just kissed Optimus, one of the highest ranking officials here.

'_What have I gotten myself into?_'

* * *

><p><strong>an: god, i was laughing so hard at the agnes part xD my mom thought i was insane... well, more than i usually am :p**

**alice: agnes doesn't sound like a very pleasant person **

**me: nope x3 and Optimus and Harley kissed :D**

**alice: yep! So, we leave here with one question**

**How did you feel when Optimus and Harley kissed?**


	9. Feet

**a/n: here's chapter 9 coming at you guys at 1.3o a.m xD**

**alice: along wit the pills, she can't sleep even worse than usual!**

**me: shut up =.= anyways, enjoy :3**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 9: Feet<span>

Harley allowed herself to be towed by Optimus. Her cheeks burned as she felt some of the peoples' stares. He turned to her and looked down.

"I'll meet you there, okay? I've got something to do," Harley nodded and watched his face light up in a smile. She smiled in return and walked towards the door of the hangar. She saw Lia there, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed. When Harley got up to her, she raised an eyebrow.

"Mind explaining what that was about?" She asked as the two walked under the long awning that had been put up. Harley held her back away from the main group of kids and lowered her voice.

"I'll tell you as long as you promise to not tell anyone!" Lia nodded, eager showing in her features, "Well... I, uh-... Me and Optimus..."

"Uh-huh?" She asked, a smile growing on her face.

"We kinda... kissed," Harley scratched the back of her head and look at the ground sheepishly. Lia grabbed her arms and looked at her seriously.

"Tell me the truth, Harley. I wanna make sure you're not making this up!" Harley got out of Lia's grasp and looked at her increduously.

"Why would I make something like that up?" Lia looked at her really hard before looking at her sympathetically.

"Well... you disappeared after I left. I figured you saw Sides and Hannah together..."

"Doing what exactly?" Harley raised an eyebrow. Her heart panged slightly when she heard Sides and Hannah were together. She then scrunched her eyebrows together. She just kissed Optimus, the guy who made her heart beat triple each time she saw him, but her heart just clenched painfully when she heard Sides was with Hannah.

"Well... it looked like Hannah was trying to swallow Sides. The only thing was..." Harley leaned in, "He was kissing her back."

Pressing her lips tightly together, Harley took a deep breath. Lia placed a hand on her shoulder and shook it sympathetically.

"Y'know what? It doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would," Harley lied. Lia bought it and nodded, smiling and winding an arm around Harley's waist.

"Well, lets go. I bet Optimus will be back soon so you guys can get it on," Harley flushed a deep color. She bumped Lia with her hip.

"Well, how about you and Sunny? What happened when you guys danced?" It was Lia's turn to blush darkly. Harley laughed, "Tell me!"

"Nothin' special, he just let me dance with him and such..." Lia shrugged. Harley blushed when she thought of her and Optimus dancing, "I see you blushing! I didn't ask how you guys kissed! Tell me!"

By this time, they were inside the hangar. It was darkly lit and had a huge dancefloor, like the other, but there was more people on it. There was strobe lights going and smoke-makers scattered around the large room. There was a DJ booth in the middle of the floor, another difference, and the food booth was scattered along the walls. The tables were round like the other hangar, but the table cloths were a deep red and the centre pieces were lava lamps. Lia tugged Harley to a corner and sat her down in one of the clothed chairs.

"Spill," Lia leaned in. Harley chewed on her lip before telling her story, from the balcony scene all the way up to when the kiss was interrupted. Lia was giggling the entire time, her smile getting wider with each blush Harley produced (which was quite a few). When she was done, Harley sat back in her seat as Lia just stared at her, "Wow... Who knew he could be such a romantic? That was so sweet! I dunno how Sides is gonna top that."

Harley shook her head with a smile, "You're guess is as good as mine."

Lia smiled and looked over at the dancefloor, "Oh, I know she ain't pullin' that again!"

Harley looked over at the dancefloor and groaned slightly. Anges had found Sunny again. Lia was fuming and got up. Harley reached out and snagged her elbow.

"Pix, don't do anything stupid," Lia clenched her fist before looking at Harley over her shoulder.

"How would you feel if that was Optimus she was doing that to?" Harley raised an eyebrow. She'd know that Agnes wouldn't dare do that to Optimus, seeing as Optimus was a higher-rank official, but her heart didn't know that. It clenched painfully, a lot more painfully than when Lia told her about Sides and Hannah. A lot more.

She pressed her lips together and let go of her elbow, "Just... _try_ not to create a big problem. I'd like to have a night of fun, not fights."

Lia nodded before stalking towards the dancefloor. Harley leaned back into the chair and watched as she pulled Agnes off Sunny by the hair. Yep, the hair. Then she proceeded to yell at her. Sunny looked pleased and then amused. Harley watched with a smirk as Lia yelled at Agnes, all the color draining from her face as she sprung the waterworks. She ran out of the hangar and Harley heard her distinctive scream as she ran straight into the rain. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder to turn and see a familiar head of yellow hair.

"Hey, Sides."

"Hey, Harley..."

She watched as he passed around the table and sat down in front of her where Lia just was.

"What's up?"

"I, uh-..." He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head, nervously. Harley blinked and tilted her head to the side, a habit she picked up from him. Sides scratched behind his ear a little before sighing, "I wanna know if you would like a dance..."

Her heart seemed to stop. He just asked her to dance and her heart was beating slightly faster. Pressing her lips together, Harley nodded. Sides lit up in a smile and stood up, holding out a hand for her to take. She got a bad feeling as she took his hand and he led her out onto the dancefloor. Letting the music take her away, Harley shut her eyes, swaying to the music. She felt Sides beside her and others that were packed in next to them, but it felt like she was somehow dislocated from everyone. Like she wasn't exactly there. She opened her eyes and saw Lia in front of her, smiling up at her and having a good time. Harley had a hard time smiling back. She had a really, _really _bad feeling.

After a while on the dancefloor, Harley pulled away from the large teenage mass. She walked over and got a cup of punch before returning to an empty table. Setting her drink down, she reached down and pulled off her heels. The things were killing her!

"Feet killing you?" She looked up to a smiling and sweaty Lia. She had her own punch cup at hand and she collapsed onto the seat next to Harley. Harley laughed and stretched her aching feet.

"Yeah..." She winced slightly when she saw the blisters on the sides of her feet. Lifting up her left foot, she hissed slightly, "God damn, go to hell. Damned shoes..."

Lia gasped and leant in, "Those did that to you?"

"Yeah," She laughed hollowly, "Guess I won't be walking for the next few days..."

She had several busted blisters on the bottom of her foot, all of them drawing blood. Her foot looked like she drug the bottom of it on glass.

"We gotta get you to the doc!" Lia stood up but Harley put a hand on her arm.

"Naw. I just need to clean it, wrap it, and stay off my feet for a few days. It's getting to the room that's going to be a bitch," Lia cautiously sat down but then got a sly smile on her face.

"Why don't I just look for Optimus? I bet he'll take you back no problem," Harley flushed a deep red color.

"S-shut up," Harley stuttered slightly, reaching out and slapping her elbow. Lia laughed and got up, reaching out a hand.

"C'mon, I'll help you back. No use in us staying here for no reason," Harley nodded and stood up, the bottoms of her feet screaming in protest. She hissed several times before having to rest on the balls of her feet. Lia coiled a hand around her waist and Harley leaned on the tiny girl for some support. She was surprisingly very sturdy. Harley and Lia hobbled over to the front of the hangar door when they noticed someone they hoped they wouldn't have to run into.

"Aww, is Harley and Li-Li leaving early?" Hannah sneered, getting up and walking over to the two.

"Not now, Hannah," Lia whined, drained from dancing the past 5 hours, "We just wanna get back to the room and sleep. So if you don't mind... _Move_."

Harley flinched when she felt Lia get off balance, resulting in her pressing the balls of her feet down to prevent falling. She hissed and leaned into Lia. Hannah just looked at them, her arms crossed.

"No, I don't think so," Lia growled slightly, "I think I'm perfectly fine right here."

"Listen you-" Harley held up a hand, effectively cutting Lia off. She looked at Hannah.

"Whatever I may have done to you years ago to make you so bitter towards me, I'm sorry. I don't remember it. But if you would _please _get out of our way!" Harley was tired and didn't want to deal with this right now. She had a bad feeling nagging at the back of her head and she felt her vision begin to swim. She needed sleep and she needed it _now_.

Hannah pursed her lips and crossed her arms, looking at them critically, "It's not what you did, it's what you continue to do."

She walked away without another word. Harley looked at Lia who looked back at her, both very confused.

"Do you know what that was about?"

"Not a clue. C'mon, lets get ya outta here."

Lia and Harley began the long, torturous trek back to the hotel room. It had been very painful for Harley, seeing as she had still unopened and brand new blisters on the bottom of her feet and the ones that were opened were meeting with gravel and dirt. She hissed and cursed and winced and whined, but she never gave up and after 45 grueling minutes, Harley finally collapsed onto her bed. Lia eased her onto her side and unzipped the dress. Harley sat up and shimmyed out of the dress, gladly taking the PJ's Lia had lain out on the bed. The cool satin felt good on her sticky skin.

"My question is... how the hell can you afford satin PJ's?" Harley laughed as Lia yanked a brush through her hair.

"Dunno," Lia smiled. Harley shook her head and brought up her right foot, hissing as she looked at the foot.

"Damn, this is gonna hurt in the morning," Lia came over and drew in a sharp breath.

"You're lucky I called the doc," Harley raised and eyebrow and looked up at Lia, who just shrugged, "What? I thought it might be bad from the way you were walking so I called him as soon as we got in here. You didn't notice 'cause you were zoning."

Harley shrugged and heard a knock at the door. She sat back as Lia got the door, pressing her back into her mound of pillows and putting her feet up.

"Hey doc," She smiled as she saw the familiar brown-haired man come into the main room. He smiled back.

"Hello, Harley. I heard that you've had some... feet issues?" He raised an eyebrow. She heard Lia talk to someone else but who she couldn't tell.

"Ehh, I guess..." She shrugged. She gestured to her propped up feet and leaned her head back into the pillows, closing her eyes, "Me and heels do _not _go together."

She felt the doctors fingers on her calf and toes. She hissed whenever she felt his fingers barely brush the skin on the balls of her feet. Harley then felt someone's cool fingers smooth away the hair on her forehead and she opened her eyes. She was met with the sky blue eyes of Optimus.

"What're you doing here?" She asked quietly. Her hands gripped the headboard for support whenever the doctor touched a particularly sensitive area.

"And here I'd thought you'd be happy to see me," Optimus chuckled softly. He looked down at the Doc, "How is her feet, Ratchet?"

"Definitely needs to spend time off her feet. I've never seen someone's feet so blistered before. It appears her calluses on her feet have cracked and opened as well, perhaps from being softened by sweat and repeatedly pressured. I've got to sterilize this. Did she walk here without shoes on?" He turned to Lia. Harley pursed her lips and felt Optimus smooth her hair again. She looked up at him and smiled softly, in which he returned.

"Y-yeah, it seemed like a good idea to keep her shoes off..." Lia said quietly. She saw the doc shake his head and then turn to her.

"I'm afraid this will sting, Harley. And I do mean a lot, but I need to sterilize the affected areas," Harley nodded. She didn't like pain. Not at all. Chewing on her lower lip, she felt Optimus rub a thumb on her forehead, easing her worries a little. Relaxing into the pillows a little, Harley leaned her head back and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the immenent stinging, "Here we go..."

He gave little warning to the cold substance that he smeared onto the bottom of her feet. Harley bit on her lower lip to prevent herself from crying out. Her fingers wrenched the wood of the bed frame and she felt Optimus rub her cheek, whispering words of comfort that did her no good. It felt like there were millions of glass knives being jabbed into my feet, twisted, pushed all the way through, and pulled back in the opposite direction. It felt like the glass knives were slowly breaking her bones, shattering them in the process. It felt like it hurt like hell.

The knives went away after a moment or two and the doctor began to bandage her feet. Harley relaxed slightly, her grip on the headboard loosening considerably before her hands fell to the sides of her head.

"Looks like you got quite a grip on you," She heard Optimus chuckle. She opened her eyes and felt her breathing hitched to see how close he really was to her. He had knelt beside her some time while her eyes were closed and his face was right next to her head. Harley looked up at the headrest and saw that she had created slight divots in the dogwood where her fingers pressed. Laughing sheepishly, she shrugged and looked at Optimus, "Were you in that much pain?"

"It hurt like hell but I'll survive," She laughed shakily. She saw a look of disproval in Optimus' eyes but waved it away, looking at the doctor, "How bad is the damage? How long will you restrict me?"

"Well, I wouldn't say restrict," The doctor laughed, "But you will be on strict bedrest for at least 3 days. After that, you will limit your walking to only 5o feet a day. From then on, you'll work on up. You really screwed up your feet, Harley. Some of the cracks were so deep, I could see the tendons in your feet. You can't do this anymore, you almost lost the ability to feel in your left foot."

Harley scrunched her eyebrows. She didn't the damage was _that _bad, "I bet I'll bounce back in a few days. No biggie."

"No, you'll listen to the doctor," She looked at Lia, amazed that her friend didn't back her up, "I don't wanna see you lose the ability to feel, Dino. Just... do what he says? At least for three days? After we can defy him!"

Harley smiled, "That's the Lia I know!"

Lia laughed and clasped a hand on the doctors shoulders, who said persons eyes were narrowing on her.

"Aww, c'mon doc! Don't be that way!" Lia laughed.

"I have enough problems with the Bozo twins, I don't need it from you!" Dr. Ratchet grabbed his medical supplies and turned.

"C'mon doc!" Lia followed him as he walked towards the door, "Please don't be mad!"

Harley laughed softly when she heard the door shut. She looked back at Optimus and saw that he held worry in his eyes.

"Are you sure you'll be okay? I'll stay here tonight if you like," He said softly. Harley shook her head and smiled.

"1. I won't hear the end of it from Lia and 2. If people find out, they will talk," She held up a finger as she ticked off the reasons. Optimus pursed his lips slightly but gave way to a soft smile. He smoothed a stray hair out of her face and trailed his fingers down her cheek. An electrical current went up her spine as she locked eyes with him. Leaning in, he placed a soft kiss on her lips before getting up and walking towards the door.

"Get some rest," He said quietly. He stopped before the wall blocked her view of him.

"You, too," Optimus nodded and walked out, the door making a quiet click. Sighing, Harley turned onto her side and placed the sheet half over her body. She felt bad for ditching Sides at the dance without him knowing, but she's glad she did at the time. Plus, it seemed like he had more than enough on his plate with Hannah. As she was drifting into a peaceful sleep, she was hit with a sudden thought.

'_If I can't walk for the next 3 days, how the __**hell**__ am I going to complete my mission?_' Harley groaned and threw a pillow over her face.

This was going to be a long three days.

* * *

><p><strong>an: poor jess :p she just keeps getting distracted from the mission**

**alice: hello-o-o? if i had that in front of me, i'd be distracted too!**

**me: you mean optimus?**

**alice: duh! (goes and drools over optimus' holoform)**

**optimus: uh.. do i wanna know?**

**me: probably not. god. i'm going insane o.o**

**what do you think will happen next?**


	10. Recollition

**a/n: annyeong! i'm sorry for my absence. i did indeed lose my muse for this story but i have found it!**

**alice: she found it a while ago but hasn't been able to write it out cos of school**

**me: yep. this chapter may be a little short but it holds a lot to it :D**

**alice: enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 1o: Recollition<p>

"I'm bored!" Harley huffed to no one in particular, fiddling with the sheets beneath her. In her left hand was the remote and in her right was the soft beige sheet, twisted and turned. Lia had long abandoned her since 8 that morning and it was now 5 in the afternoon. She had watched nothing but SpongeBob and Jersey Shore, feeling each and every individual brain cell slowly dying off from boredom, "Someone needs to come and rescue me!"

"How about me?" She heard a voice and smiled, turning to see her uncle walk in. She adjusted herself on the sunken comforter to look at him better as her uncle walked into the room with a plastic bag at hand.

"What's that?" Harley asked, cocking an eyebrow. Her uncle got an almost evil smirk as he brought forth the plastic bag and unraveled it.

"I thought you'd might like a little taste of home," He presented a tall glass filled with several layers of yellow, white, red, and black food items with a long-stemmed, thin, silver spoon. Harley just gave him an odd look.

"Home?"

"You _are _Filipino," Her uncle stated.

'_Oh_, _so that's where I get my looks from?_' She thought to herself as she took the glass from him, feeling the coolness of the contents relieve some of the hotness of her skin, "What is it?"

"It's called _halo-halo_. It's a beverage made of sweetened beans and various fruits with either ice-cream, whipped cream, or both. It was your favorite when you were little, you always asked for the whipped heavy cream and strawberries along with the traditional bananas, pineapples, and beans," Her uncle smiled, "Go ahead."

She gingerly took the long-handled silver spoon and cut into the mixture to the bottom. Scooping out some of the contents, Harley slowly ate it. What happened next was definitely unexpected. Along with the flurry of tastes that the _halo-halo _brought came the memories. Thousands of childhood memories flooded her mind so violently, Harley dropped the glass with a sharp gasp.

"Harley! Are you okay?" Her uncle leapt from his seat to kneel beside her, a cool hand pressed to her now sweating neck. Harley opened her mouth to say something but no sound came out as she was sucked into a spiral of childhood photos and clips. She barely heard her uncle calling her name repeatedly as her vision began to get dark and all she saw was the memories.

* * *

><p>'<em>Greg! Greg! I want some halo-halo!'<em> A five-year-old Harley laughed at her seven-year-old uncle, who was holding the glass high above her head.

'_Daddy!_' An 8-year-old Harley smiled up at her father in his arms, '_Can we go to Lola's and have __some halo-halo?'_

Present-day Harley just stood there, in the middle of the spiral, looking at all the different pictures and clips of her at younger ages, asking for _halo-halo_, eating _halo-halo_, teasing her uncle with promises of _halo-halo_. Anything and everything that included the sweet beverage of her childhood.

"I... remember," Harley said quietly, blinking. The memories surrounded mainly by _halo-halo _suddenly lurched forward and then fanned back, creating a broken globe around her. Slowly, one-by-one, did all of her memories appear to her. Walking up to one curved wall, Harley looked at the broad horizon of the memories. In one was Harley at her 15th birthday, Lia and Tobias smiling widely on either side of her as she blew out the candles on her cake. Another was her, her mother, and her father smiling in front of a zebra at the local zoo.

'_Harley...' _She heard someone call out to her. Turning on her heel, Harley felt her hair whip at her cheeks as she looked around.

"Who's there? !" She yelled, holding her fists up in a defensive position. She heard the voice chuckle.

'_Now_, _now Harley_, _no need for brashness_,' Harley heard another voice and turned again.

"Tell me who you are! Now!" She couldn't place it, but she's heard the voices before. Squinting, Harley was suddenly blinded by two bright white lights. As the light began to dim, Harley opened her eyes but only saw two silhouetted figures, "Who are you?"

"Now, my own daughter doesn't recognize me?" Harley heard the second voice, a deep, rough male tone, speak.

"Easy, Armando," The second voice, a sleek, soft female tone, gently reprimanded the first, Armando, "She _has _had her memory erased."

Harley blinked and looked at the two lights now, the light fading considerably and the silhouettes now revealing two people, one male and one female. The male was tall, burly, and sort of roundish with deeply tanned skin and dark hair, buzzed close to his head. His eyes were a light hazel with smile lines and were framed by thick framed, rectangle glasses.

Her father.

The female was smaller, but still tall, and thin with just as tan of skin. Her hair fell in soft, chocolatey brown waves down to her mid back and two thin braids framed her face. Her eyes were a pretty deep brown that made her skin look lighter than it was.

Her mother.

"Mom..? Dad..?" The words were foreign on her tongue as Harley scrunched her eyebrows, trying so hard to remember them. Her father smiled.

"That's my girl!" He said, laughing boisterously and heartily as he engulfed her tiny frame in a hug.

"Can't... breathe," Harley smiled, hugging back as her father pulled away, "Why...? I can't... I want to, but I can't..."

"I know you can't remember, honey," Her mom approached her, slowly pulling her into a hug. Harley stood there for a moment, letting the waves of familiarity wash over her, until she finally lifted her arms and hugged her mom tightly back. Her mother smoothed out her hair and she felt her father's arms engulf the two of them, "I know it's confusing now, honey, but you need to trust yourself."

"Trust... myself? What's that supposed to mean?" Harley pulled away from the two of them and looked at them.

"The truth will always reveal itself to those who ask," Her father said. Harley blinked and just looked at him.

"Trust in yourself that you can find the truth. Things will become very complicated, honey," Her mother now spoke.

"But... why?"

"Which ever path you choose to take, make sure you choose with your heart."

"What? Please tell me what that means!" Harley said, looking at her now fading father, "No! Please don't leave me!"

"We're not leaving you," Her father smiled, "We're just... taking a little vacation from the real world. We're always with you Harley, you're 23 now, and we're positive we left you in some pretty capable hands."

"Who, Greg?"

Her father laughed heartily again, "No, not my little brother. He's never capable of handling someone other than himself. I'm talking about your friends and your... boyfriend."

"Dad!" Harley smiled, "He's not my boyfriend."

"You're right, he's not," Her mother got a mischevious smile, in turn beginning to fade as well, "He's more than that."

"What?" Harley asked, looking oddly at her mother before reaching out to her near-gone father, "What's that supposed to mean! Dad!"

"Never forget who you are, Harley. No one can ever take away who you truly are, not even the Decepticons," Were her father's last words. Harley jerked back, almost as if she were electrocuted. How in the world did they know about the Decepticons?

"Mom? How do you guys know about them?" Harley turned to her mother.

"Harley, honey, we've known about the past few years. We couldn't stop them from doing this to you."

"Doing what? Mom, I don't get it!" Harley reached out and found out that her hand passed through her mother, "Mom! Please! I need more answers."

"Your memories will give you all of your answers. We were just here to help you finally see them. Look around, Harley. Look into your memories and see what they've done to us, done to you," Her mom was nearly completely gone, "You're home here, Harley, not with them. They've taken you from your home. Never think that they are your true family because they're not. Lia and Tobias are. Greg is. Optimus is. All of those people you've become friends with, _that's _your true family, not the Decepticons. Never forget that honey. We love you."

"Don't leave, Mom," Harley said, reaching out to her mother, who had now completely faded. She fell to her knees and fell something tear at her heart, something she hadn't felt in a long while.

Despair.

She just now had seen her family and they had dashed any hopes of her going back to the Decepticons. Were they right? Were the Decepticons truly decieving her or was she the one decieving them? So many questions swirled in her mind as she looked around the globe, memories of her past looking down on her, waiting to be looked at. One in particular stood out to her. Getting up from her knees and walking over to the small square, Harley touched it gently. With a gasp, everything fell away from her, a sharp gust of wind engulfing her. Harley held her arms in front of her eyes, a vain attempt at shielding the sharp wind. Suddenly, the wind stopped.

* * *

><p>Opening her eyes, Harley gasped at the scene. It was a street. Just a lonely street. But in the street were cracks and divots, huge cracks and divots, as if something large had been wrestling here. The sounds of screams filled her ears as she took off down the street,reaching a corner and peering around it. A few pedestrians ran by, screaming their heads off as Harley looked for the source. What she found shocked her.<p>

There was Megatron, her Master, fighting another robot, a large blue and red robot. None of the Decepticons seemed to reach Megatrons height but this bot he was battling was easily taller than him! Harley crouched low and moved forward, hiding behind the cars even though she knew very well that they couldn't see her. She ended up beside a tow truck with a yellow bot attached to the back, both of his legs blown clear off. The old Harley felt a pang of sympathy for the bot but the new Harley felt nothing. She continued to watch the scene but couldn't help but see the other bots around: another yellow bot with medical stickers over it's arms and chest, a tall charcoal bot, and a smaller silver bot. Harley looked up at the charcoal and yellow bot, which the latter was bent over the small silver bot.

"_How is he_, _Ratchet?_" The charcoal bot asked and Harley gasped.

'_Ratchet?_' She thought, '_It couldn't be the same one!_'

"_I'm not sure_ _yet_, _Ironhide_," The yellow bot, Ratchet, said, and Harley nearly cried in shock. It was him! The voice was too familiar to distinguish otherwise! "_Jazz is a strong soldier but his wounds are great. We'll just have to wait._"

"_What about Optimus? Surely he needs help!_" The charcoal bot, Ironhide, gestured to the bot battling Megatron. Harley whirled to the battling bots.

'_Optimus?' _Harley thought before shaking her head rapidly, '_No. No_, _it couldn't be!_'

Megatron rolled over from the tall bot and got up into a fighting stance, a sneer on his face.

"_Why fight for them when we can just take_, _Prime?"_ That was surely her masters voice.

"_They have a right to choose!_" Her eyes widened as she saw Megatron tackle Optimus to the ground. She knew from his voice that it was truly him.

"No!" She said, not wanting to believe it. All she knew about this battle that Megatron would tell her is that his brother defeated him and that he should be obliterated for trying to kill him on his path to restoring his world. That and his brother killed her parents.

Jerking her head up, Harley remembered that she indeed _was _here for the battle. Running down the street towards the battling bots, she saw that Megatron had Optimus down on the ground and had turned, leering at the ground. She looked and saw that it was her parents, both on the ground, looking up at him. From the shadows came a figure, running full speed at Megatron. It took Harley a moment to realize it was herself, nearly 3 years ago, with back-length hair and definitely a new wardrobe. The past Harley ran in front of her parents.

"_You want them? You'll have to go through me!_" She yelled. Megatron cackled and leered over her.

"_Alright_, _little fleshy. How about this?_" He flicked the past Harley to the side and the present Harley flinched, feeling the pain of the metal finger making the impact to her stomach, "_What made you two so important so that you could protect it?_"

"_We'll never tell you!_" Her mother spat, a sneer on her face as her forehead bled profusely.

"_We'll never let you have it!_" It was her father's turn to yell at Megatron, his ear nearly torn off.

"_Oh well_, _I know it's not you two who possess it any more_, _so you are disposable!_" The present day Harley watched in horror as Megatron placed his heel of his foot in front of her parents heads and let his foot drop. She closed her eyes and looked away so she couldn't bear to watch the scene. She felt like she could just curl into a little ball and cry. She didn't want to know how her parents went out, let alone have to see nor _hear _it. She looked back and just as he shot a large hole right where her parents were.

"He... killed them..." She said softly. She turned just as her uncle came zooming around the corner on a motorcycle and began shooting at Megatron, who had begun to reach for the past Harley (who was knocked out against a brick wall).

"_Get away from her!_" He yelled, shooting furiously at Megatron, who turned to look at her uncle.

"_Ah_, _so you helped protect it? Perhaps you could tell me where it is?_" Megatron lurched for her uncle just as Optimus tackled Megatron. Present day Harley shrieked and flew to the ground, avoiding being crushed by the two robots. She shot to her feet and ran after them. She saw a boy at the base of the two bots fighting, looking up at them with a cube-looking thing in his arms.

"I... I remember that..." Present day Harley said, wanting to go up and touch the cube. Suddenly, Optimus was thrown to the ground and Megatron lurched for the kid, but Optimus tripped him. Harley ran closer so that she could see, peering over a car.

"_Sam_, _put the cube in my chest now!_" Optimus said and Harley gasped, even though she knew the kid, Sam, never did so. Just like she thought, Sam turned and thrusted the cube upwards and into Megatrons chest.

"How? If... Megatron died, how can he be alive now? Did... someone bring him back?" Harley wondered aloud and saw her uncle running up, dirt all over his face as he looked up at Optimus when he stood up.

"_Thank you Sam_, _all of you. You all have shown us the kindness that humans are capable of possessing_," Optimus spoke and it sent a shiver down Harley's spine. Even if she didn't want to believe it, she knew it in her bones that it was Optimus speaking. Harley then looked at her uncle, who ran up to one of the soldiers, talking harshly to him, when Lia and Tobias ran over to him. They hadn't aged a day. Harley walked over and listened to their conversation.

"_What do you mean you can't find her? !_" Her uncle yelled.

"_She's not anywhere. I'm sorry_, _Greg_," Lia said and Harley saw her uncle drop to his knees, bunching his hair in his fingers.

"_I... I lost my brother today_,_ my sister-in-law... Now my niece? I promised my Kuya that I'd take care of her because he knew that this would be the last time he'd see her and now I've broken that promise..._" Harley walked up to her uncle and reached for him but once her fingers grazed his shirt, the entire memory began to shatter and break. Looking around, she ran haphazardly to avoid the falling pieces of the memory. Once she looked back, she saw that the only thing that was left was Optimus. He was standing proud and tall in his true form. Nothing else was there, just blackness, her, and Optimus. She walked up to him, struggling to crane her neck.

"Why?" Harley's voice was soft, a fear in her that if she spoke to loud that the image would break like the others, "Why would you lie to me?"

He said nothing but looked at her. His optics shone that pure blue that his human form had, that bright blue that seemed to glow each time she looked at him. Once again, it felt like Harley was getting sucked into those eyes, the color so pure and so vibrant that it completely engulfed her like a warm blanket. She went to walk forward but the ground beneath her cracked, the entire thing spidering out. Harley looked desperately up at Optimus as she felt the ground beneath her crumble away. Just as she fell through, Harley felt her head go fuzzy and swell slightly. It was like all of her memories were pouring into her skull through any possible opening: her ears, nose, mouth, anything. Harley felt herself falling more and more, deeper and deeper, until she felt her whole body jerk from impact.

"Harley? Harley!" Harley's eyes fluttered open to see her uncle's worried face. Her uncle smiled widely once he saw that she was awake and engulfed her in a tight hug, "Oh Lord, Harley, I thought I lost you!"

"Uncle..." Harley said, her voice broken somewhat as she pushed him away and looked at him seriously, "What happened?"

"You took a bite out of the _halo-halo_ and then knocked out. You broke out in a cold sweat and your body was unresponsive. I had one of the nurses check you out and said you were fine."

"Nurses? What?" Harley looked down at her arm and saw an IV drip protruding from it.

"How is she?" Harley turned to see Lia walking in. Lia looked up and lit up when she saw that Harley was awake, "Dino!"

"Hey, Pix," Harley gave a weak smile and put her head back on the pillow once Lia was close enough, flowers at hand. Harley just noticed that she was in a small, hospital-like room.

'_Must be one on base_,' She thought absently, smiling when Lia brought over the flowers and put them in a vase, setting them on the table next to the bed.

"How are you feeling? Greg said you gave him quite a scare!"

"That's 'cause she did!" Her uncle laughed. Harley rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Course I did, it's _totally _my goal in life to scare the crap out of you."

Both Lia and her uncle sat there in a stunned silence.

"What?"

"You... sound like your old self..." Lia said softly. Harley smiled.

"'Cause I got my memories back."

Lia's eyes widened until she began smiling, "You did..?"

"Yep. I got every single last one of them..."

"Really?"

"Yuppers."

"Yay!" Lia squealed, tossing herself at Harley in a bone-crushing hug. Harley laughed and hugged her awkwardly back. When Harley saw her uncle's expression, she looked at Lia, who nodded, "I'll give you two a moment."

"Thanks..." Harley said as she watched her friend walk out of the room. Once the door clicked shut, she turned to her uncle, who had his head down.

"You... Remember it all..?"

"Yep... All of it..."

"Including the battle?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And... your parents?"

Harley sucked in a sharp breath, "Yeah. Not a fun picture to see..."

"You didn't have to see it the first time..." Her uncle said quietly. Harley nodded and waited for him to calm his emotions, "I'm sorry you had to see it now, Harley. But do you mind explaining to me what that episode was all about?"

"Earlier?"

"No, the one that's gonna happen tomorrow. Yes the one that happened earlier!" Her uncle said, trying to joke around to keep the attention away from breaking down.

"Sorry," Harley smiled, "I guess it was the force of the memories attacking me that kinda sent me into a coma-like state. Just the taste of the _halo-halo _alone gave me so many memories..."

"Yeah, all the times we would tease each other about _halo-halo-" _Her uncle said.

"And always asking if we could go to _Lola's_ to get some homemade _halo-halo-" _Harley interjected.

"And how we would always share when we could go to _Lola's_-"

"Under the cherry tree," They both finished with a smile, reminiscing the bittersweet memories of her parents and them sitting under the cherry trees of her _Lola's._

"_Kuya _Armando always teased me about never being able to take care of anyone right. I always would ruin your dolls or your lunch when I babysat," Her uncle mused.

"Then why did he leave you in charge of taking care of me?"

"Because I was the only one he could trust at the time. Things were... complicated when the battle broke out and somehow your parents knew they weren't going to make it out... Wait, you said you saw the battle, how much did you see?"

"You guys lied to me," Harley said bluntly and her uncle's head whipped up.

"What?"

"You guys lied to me. But that's okay."

"It is?"

"Yes, it is."

"Why?"

"'Cause I lied to you, too."

* * *

><p><strong>an: cliffie! bwahaha!**

**alice: you're enjoying this waaay to much, huh?**

**me: yep :3 so, question time!**

**-What do you think will happen next?**


	11. Trouble

**a/n: i do apologize for the delay, still trying to get the school situation all... situated? haha, don't mind me**

**alice: her brain is fried from AP homework**

**me: basically OwO but i managed to get out chapter 11 to you guys**

**alice: yep! so enjoy!**

**me: oh, and to those who are reading 'Bee Hive', please allow me a slight break. i did screw up on the latest chapter so on top of the new one i'm writing, i'm editing that one and adding a lot more crap to it so i do apologize if it comes out a little late. but anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 11: Trouble<span>

"W-what?" Her uncle said, stunned. Harley chewed on her lower lip, suddenly very concious of what she just said. She had felt so confident when she had first said it but now had realized it may have a horrible mistake.

"Uhm... I... lied to you guys as well..." She said quietly, wringing her hands together. Her uncle touched both her shoulders gently and forced her to look at him.

"Harley, I need you to tell me what you lied about," He looked almost desperate, almost as if he were already fearing something worse than he already thought. Harley looked down before looking back up at him.

"Just... don't get mad, okay?" She asked softly, afraid of what he would say, "I... was forced to be quiet."

"Harley, you and I both know you can tell me anything. _Anything_," Her uncle smiled slightly and released her shoulders, relaxing back into his chair.

Harley opened her mouth and tried to say something, but couldn't find any sound. She looked down at the sheets in front of her and took a deep breath, "I... lied that I was picked up by someone and taken to rural Washington. I was picked up, but not by someone, by some_thing_."

Her uncle remained silent, waiting for her to continue. Harley drew in a few shaking breaths, terrified out of her wits that her uncle would be angry with her or worse.

Abandon her.

"I... was picked up by the Decepticons..."

She heard her uncle suck in a sharp breath and she flinched.

"I was picked up by the Decepticons after the Mission City battle. I don't remember much, I was in and out, but I do remember flying. Starscream probably picked me up. Anyways, it couldn't have been to long for them to begin to slowly erase my memory. One by one did they leave, I barely remember the process as well but I remember pain. It felt as if my entire being was on fire constantly while trying to be torn in two starting at the head. It hurt _so much_, Kuya, it really did. I found out that Splice, the medical personnel for the Decepticons, had first cut open my head and inspected my brain, then stitched me up and began to inject some type of fluid through my veins in my neck and arms. I don't know what it was, they wouldn't tell me, but it began to get increasingly hard to eat and stay awake. I had gotten so skinny because I, myself, couldn't and wouldn't eat. My metabolism was all over the place, beginning so low at only 9oo calories, and you and I both know that we all need at least 12oo calories, so it was pretty low. But as soon as some of the side effects began to work, my metabolism shot up-"

"To extremes no human should ever have," Her uncle quietly interuppted.

"Right. They got them so high because my training required so much calories. Boot camps that would make even had some of the Decepticons collapse from exhaustion. The training there was merciless, but I kept at it. My muscle index soon became most of my BMI and I toned instead of skinnied... Is that even a word? Anyways," Harley shook her head, trying to keep her head clear, her hands shaking more now. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell her uncle why she was here or not...

'_No_, _I have to tell him. He needs to know. And... if Megatron killed my parents_, _isn't he my enemy? Shouldn't I be on my Kuya's side?' _Harley reasoned with herself.

"Anyways...?" Her uncle began.

"Oh, sorry. Anyways, I trained with the Decepticons for about a year before they started sending me on missions. I was anything and everything to some of their missions. I was their only human intell they could truly trust. I was an assassin, a cover, someone they could use but wasn't disposable. I was undercover, I could be trusted by any human. _Any._"

"The ultimate secret weapon," Her uncle realized aloud.

"Exactly," She finally looked at her uncle, who held a thoughtful expression, "I was the one to go on the intell missions and give them information on their next hit. I would give them information on what their hit looked like, where they stayed at, even where they ate if they went out often. I was a vital piece to their whole operation. I agreed to anything, even if it meant my life would come into jeopardy, and I followed orders directly and quickly. Soon, I became Megatron's favorite. I became his... 'pet', as he would like to call me. He would always give me the special treatment and wouldn't be as tough on me if I made a mistake nor if the mission wasn't done correctly."

"He didn't... mistreat you?"

"Not that I remember. He was cold in the beginning but then showed me his softer side. I overheard some of my colleagues talking to each other and said that I was like 'The Sparkling he never had'. I guess they were just jealous."

"Why aren't you still with them? Why did you get out?"

She remained quiet, looking back down at the sheets.

"Harley?" Harley's uncle reached up and took her chin in his hand gently, making her look at him, "Why are you here? How did you get out?"

"I... I was sent here... on a mission..." She said quietly, a tear prickling at her eye. She was scared, terrified, that her uncle would drop her like a rock off a cliff, just toss her off and see how far she can fall and how much she could take in hits until she broke.

"Harley, you need to tell me what your mission was."

"I didn't do it, Kuya. I haven't had the time to do so," Harley began to babble to herself to make herself feel sane, to feel like she wasn't going slowly crazy, "I've been caught up with Lia and Sides and the dance and my feet. I haven't been able to carry it out. I haven't been able to send it to them. I didn't do it yet, Kuya. I'm still good, right? I'm still loved, right? I'm still-"

"Harley!" Her uncle stood up and grasped her by the shoulders, shaking her lightly to get her out of her maddening state, "Please, tell me what's going on. Why wouldn't you be good? Not loved? Harley, please tell me!"

She looked up at him, straight in the eye, and barely choked out, "I was supposed to gather any information the Autobots had and send it to the Decepticons. I was sent here to hack into your systems and shut them all down so that they can attack and won't be detected by radar."

"You were sent here to help partake in a massacre," Her uncle let go of her shoulders and sat down in the chair. Harley couldn't hold them in and let loose her tears.

"I'm so sorry, Kuya," She said, not bothering to wipe away the stray tears, "I didn't know then. I didn't know that I would get my memory back nor did I know that I would see my family again, my best friends. That I would meet new people that I want to protect. That I wouldn't want to go through with the mission. I'm so sorry."

"You... were sent here... to help kill the Autobots..."

"And all who helped protect or partake in their battle."

"Including me."

"And Lia and Tobias," Harley sniffled, wiping her nose. Her uncle hadn't looked at her until now, when he lifted his face to her, and Harley now wished he hadn't. She saw the thing she worst feared: disappointment, hurt, sadness, rage. All those emotions mixed into one. It scared her, made her fear something for once in the past few years, "Kuya..?"

"You lied to us, Harley, to me," Her uncle said coldly, "You were sent here by Decepticons to destroy us and spoil any chances that Earth may have to defend themselves against the Decepticons."

"But Kuya, I-"

"That's enough, Harley!" Her uncle suddenly stood up, "You had a duty to your parents that you wouldn't break any promises to them, to anyone you made a promise to. You just broke one of the largest promises you could've ever made: Lying. You've lied about where you were the past few years and then lied to me about who had you. Harley, you are now considered a threat to NEST and the entire NEST operation. I am sorry, but I will have to take you into custody until we can deem you 'safe.'"

"Kuya!" Harley said, trying to contain her tears (which were now flowing even harder), "Please don't do this! I told you, I haven't been able to carry out the mission yet! I haven't even gotten _close _to getting the information."

"I am sorry, Harley. This is hurting me just as much as it's hurting you," She looked up and did, indeed, see pain in his eyes, "But I cannot let you slide. I have to make sure you're not a serious threat. You will be put into an entirely seperate corridor where there will be no one but you. You will have all the luxuries of your old room: a tv, a bathroom, a bed, a clock, a light, and a dresser. You will not have the luxuries of seeing your friends or going out. Food will be provided for you and you cannot contact anyone without the supervision of an officer between designated times. Harley Pewitt, you are now under custody of NEST. You will be put into custody for a sentence time of 240 hours, or 1o days, as a precaution. You will serve this time out in the Corrections Building under the supervision of Jerod Leighter. Are there any questions?"

Harley blinked, remaining quiet, and not believing that her uncle was truly doing this. Her uncle sighed and gave her a sympathetic look.

"I promise it won't be for too long. It will only be until all the safety precautions are done and out of the way and I promise you will be back before you know it."

"Kuya..." Harley said quietly before looking down at her hands clenching the sheets tightly, "I truly am sorry. I just hope you can forgive me."

"It's not me who you have to apologize to," Harley looked up at her uncle, who was looking down at her with a patronizing look, "It's all the friends you've lied to. I understand you just now got your memories back and just now have gotten to the way you were, but before you were not the Harley we knew. You were the Harley who worked for the Decepticons, the one who lied about your past, the one who lied to everyone about what you were here for, the one who was destructive to the Autobots. But you were also the misled Harley, the one who was led to believe we were the bad guys and you had every right to be angry for what happened, but you were angry at the wrong people. I'm sorry, but we're putting away the misled, Decepticon Harley. The old Harley will just have to wait it out until we can prove that you are no longer a threat."

"... Okay..." Harley said really quietly. Her uncle sighed and patted her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, it won't be for long."

"That's what all officer's say..."

"We're supposed to say it, but I know it for a fact," He smiled and then walked to the door, "I will be back after I talk to Corrections Office in the main building. From there I will take you to the Corrections Building, as we call it."

"Why?"

"It's not jail, it's more like a detention centre or juvie."

"So now I'm going to Juvie?"

That got a smile out of her uncle.

"Don't make me smile, I'm supposed to be the officer here."

"Never means you're the mature one."

"Shame that you decided to drop the truth bomb on me now, we could've pulled some pretty wild pranks like back in the old days," Her uncle winked and then walked out. Harley rolled her eyes and looked back down at the sheets.

'_Did I do the right thing? Should I have stayed quiet? Do I still continue the mission?_' Harley thought to herself as she waited for her uncle's return, '_No. If there is one thing I am positive of_, _it's that I'm never working for that Megatron ever again. He has lied to me and misled me and has taken me away from all the things I hold near and dear. I do not regret telling my uncle this. He needed to know. So what's a few weeks in a Corrections Building? So what's everyone probably going to hate my guts for lying to them and then telling them I worked for the Decepticons? So __what? I told them the truth and hopefully they'll forgive me in this lifetime._'

Harley sighed and flopped her head back onto her pillow.

'_Hopefully Optimus won't hate me..._' She blinked and then remembered something, '_Wait... Optimus... is a robot... The Optimus that I kissed not only a day ago_, _is a robot? How can he look like a human but still be a robot? Is he like Alice? No_, _he's too out of proportion to his body. What about Ratchet? He was there_, _too. Are Sunny and Sides robots as well? The names make sense_,_ now that I think about it..."_

She was snapped out of her reverie when her uncle walked back in, a wheelchair at hand.

"You think you can walk to the wheelchair?"

"I think I'll manage," Harley smirked slightly, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and placing her bandaged feet on the cool tile floor. She waited until the nurse came in and unhooked her I.V (knowing her, she'd end up screwing something up and shower her and her uncle in blood) before standing up and hobbling the short distance to the wheelchair.

"Hands, wrists crossed," Her uncle commanded, standing in front of her. Harley quirked an eyebrow but complied, placing her right wrist over her left as her uncle shackled them together. After he was done, she let them fall into her lap so no one could notice them immediately. Then they began her walk (or roll, rather) of shame. Taking a deep breath, Harley told herself to calm herself down.

'_I'm sure it's not that big of a deal. Only 1o days_,' She tried reasoning with herself as her uncle led her through the maze of hallways and out the door of the Medical Wing. Harley kept her gaze straight ahead and held her head high, refusing to let herself be degraded even though there were definitely whispers and stares. She heard her uncle ask someone to take the handles and saw him walk over to Lia and Tobias through the corner of her eye. Sucking in a breath, she seemed to have lost it when she saw Optimus walking up behind them and she clenched her jaw. She didn't want Lia nor Tobias to see her like this, let alone Optimus, '_Just hold your head up high_, _Harley..._'

"It won't be for to long," Harley heard the person pushing her say and she turned her head slightly, gasping when she saw it was Hannah, "Don't worry, they're just a bit overprotective."

"Why are you even near me without trying to kill me?"

"Who says I always want to kill you?" Hannah laughed lightly, "Look, I may be a complete and total bitch to you, but that doesn't mean I don't have a soul."

"Says who?" Harley retorted, sitting forward once more.

"I'm sorry for our rocky relationship. Do you think you can fogive me?"

"You tried stealing my boyfriend on more than one occasion, tried to outshine me in school, and always degraded me for the way I looked and dressed. The only thing that kept me going in Junior and High School is thinking that Karma is a bitch and it's coming for you, Hannah. You think I'm gonna forgive you so quickly? I wanna know what the hell I did to deserve all the shit you put me through!"

"You were always the favorite..." Harley looked over her shoulder.

"What?"

"Lia was my best friend in the beginning, if you remember correctly. Then you switched in from private school. You were already friends with Tobias, who was a close friend with Lia, and then soon stole Lia from me. I'm always bitter because I was upset that you've stolen one of my only friends in my life, one of the only ones who saw me for me and not for my money. I was upset because you always seemed to outshine me, to outlast, out do me period. I wanted to be your friend but my ego got in the way. Every time I tried to be nice, it ended up being something nasty. I guess I get it from my parents, my ego and snobbish attitude, that is..." Hannah laughed bitterly and wheeled Harley into the Corrections Building, "I'll try to be nice to you sometime in the near future. I guess this right here is a step in a good direction between us. I just hope you can understand where I'm coming from."

"I suppose I can," Harley said with a small smile. Hannah pulled her into an elevator, pressed the button with the 'D' on it, and turned to Harley.

"I really do hope we can begin to mend our relationship. It was my fault my ego got in the way of us becoming friends. I'm sure if I hadn't thought that you were stealing Lia away, we could've been good friends in the past."

"Where in the world did this sudden sense of conscience come from?"

"Sides said I should try to mend some things between us. I have a feeling we'll be hanging out more often and I really would not like to waste all my time and energy on something that's so fruitless."

"Wow, you sounded really smart there!" Harley smirked. Hannah looked aghast and Harley laughed, nudging her with her elbow, "Kidding! Lighten up and we'll get along just fine."

"R-really? You're not angry that I stole Sides from you?"

"Upset, yes, but... I don't know if I truly liked him in the first place... Sure, he's funny and cute and has a smoking car, but did I really like him?"

"I'm not sure I'm following this?"

"I'm at a time in my life where I question everything and then berate myself, let me rant," Both Hannah and Harley laughed lightly.

"What're you in here for?" Hannah asked as soon as the doors opened and she took Harley out. Harley remained silent, looking at her cuffed wrists.

"I did something that I probably never should have done but couldn't have stopped..."

"If you had no control over it, why are you being put in here?"

"You'll find out in a few days, I promise," Harley smiled up at Hannah as she unlocked the door CBFD R. 72, "What does 'CBFD R.72' mean?"

"'Corrections Building Floor D, Room 72.'"

"Ah," Was all she said as Hannah brought her into the room. It was plain. Grey walls with black carpet, a single window on the far end with a bathroom door next to it and a bed in the middle, placed snugly against the right wall flush across the tv on a dresser. There was a bedside table next to her bed with a lamp and an alarm clock. Her uncle was right, all the luxuries to keep her occupied for a few days but not the luxuries she wanted. Hannah helped her over to her bed and allowed Harley to use her as leverage. Once she was comfortable, she grabbed Hannah's arm as she turned to go, "Thank you, Hannah. Really. I do hope we can become good friends. You don't seem all that bad after all."

"Neither do you, Pewitt."

"Watch it Hosterson."

"Never," Hannah smirked and winked, walking towards the door, "Your uncle will probably be in here within the next hour with the doc to check up on you and bring you some food."

"Kay, thanks," Harley said as she gave Hannah a small smile.

"No problem. Just... try not to create any more? Somehow I figure you're causing a lot of 'em right now."

"You have no idea," Harley said under her breath as Hannah nodded and walked out, closing the door quietly behind her. Harley rolled to her side and hugged one of the pillows close to her body, closing her eyes in hopes of sleep, "You have no idea..."

* * *

><p>"Greg? What the hell is going on!" Lia asked, looking up at him, "Why are they taking Harley away? I thought she needed a day's rest without going anywhere."<p>

"She does but circumstances have changed," He said dully, not looking her in the eye.

"Where is she going?" Tobias asked.

"I can't tell you now."

"Why not?" Now it was Lia; the two seemed to switch off questions.

"I'm not entitled to let you guys have that information at this time."

"When did you become serious, Greg?"

"When my cousin decided to be truthful," He said almost harshly.

"What?" Lia looked taken aback. Greg looked up and saw Optimus walk up.

"Optimus, we need to speak. Alone."

"I would agree," Optimus couldn't focus on Greg's face, his eyes kept flickering back to the girl in the wheelchair being taken away. Once Harley made it in to the building did Optimus turn his gaze to Greg and raised an eyebrow, "Mind explaining?"

"When we're alone."

"Greg! We can take it! We wanna know why Harley is being put away! She just got her memories back today, cut her some slack?" Lia grabbed Greg's arm lightly.

"Not for what she did!" Greg began to get confused on who was speaking next.

"What did she do?" Optimus questioned.

"She lied to us!"

The three in front of him were shocked into silence. Greg gave a sigh of annoyance and began walking to the main hangar.

"We need to speak alone to talk about this."

He didn't even wait up to know that all three were following him. He walked into the main hangar, not slowing his pace until he got into one of the empty board rooms. He continued to walk to the head of the room to the white board and turned, watching the three walk in and Optimus close the door.

"Greg, please tell us what's wrong!" Lia said, almost out of breath, "What did Harley lie about?"

"Harley did get her memories back today. The old Harley is back, oh god is she back. It's so nice to see my niece again, my real niece. But just as I was about to rejoice, she dropped something major on me."

Optimus stood on one side of the long table in the middle of the room and Lia and Tobias stood on the other side. Greg took in a deep breath and looked at the three of them.

"Harley's working for the Decepticons."

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><p><strong>an: dun dun duuuun! what's gonna happen next? !**

**alice: even you don't know...**

**me: yep xD OH! who here has gotten TF 3~? I havent but i've seen it 7 times when i rented it xD**

**alice: did you hear?**

**me: what?**

**alice: they're planning on making a fourth one but without shia and michael**

**me: oh... that... i was trying to ignore that... if they do make that and that happens, it will probably suck but it's my duty as a obsessed fan of TF that i am entitled to go see it, no matter how much it hurts...**

**alice: anyways! lets get on with the question!**

**How do you think everyone will react to Harley's news?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


	12. Talks

**a/n: again, apologies for such short chapters but i am trying to juggle now THREE stories (it's hard to bottle my muse so i have to keep writing) and school work. **

**alice: but hey, you guys keep getting chapters huh?**

**me: yep! so enjoy!**

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><p><span>Chapter 12: Talks<span>

"Harley?" The knock on the door startled her out of her sleep, making her jump a little. Harley looked around, wondering why she couldn't see, and realized it was pitch black in her room.

"Come in," She said groggily, rubbing her eye and turning on the beside lamp. In walked her uncle with Dr. Ratchet and Optimus.

"Hey, Harley. How are you feeling?" Her uncle asked, bringing forth a tray of food with a cover on it.

"Seriously?" Harley arched an eyebrow and her uncle nodded, sitting down on her bed next to her.

"Understood. I can understand why you're feeling like this."

"Oh? You do?"

"No, but I gave it a shot."

"We saw how far that went."

"Don't get snippy with me!"

"Why not? You need a hair cut anyways, someone's fraying a bit."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"I thought it was hilarious. Can't you tell?"

"Ever notice how you're laughing face and you're 'I'm-about-to-bite-you' face never change?"

"Because I take joy in causing you frustration."

"Biting me frustrates me?"

"Yes, especially when I don't let go."

"No, that infuriates me, not frustrates me."

"Same difference."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Ah... still no."

"How 'bout now?"

"Nope."

"Now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"Still no."

"How about... mmm... now!"

"How about... never!"

"I despise you."

"You don't mean that."

"I know."

"Then why say it?"

"'Cause it's fun."

"Not for me."

"You know you like it."

"How about no?"

"Don't deny it."

"Uh... I kinda am."

"You like it, you love it, you want some more of it-"

"Don't start, Harley!"

"I didn't."

"Oh?"

"You did."

"You infuriate me."

"And yet you still love me!"

"Debatable."

"Children!" Both jumped and looked up at Dr. Ratchet with wide eyes, "If you two are finished..."

"Sorry, Dr. Ratchet," Both of them looked down with sorrowful expressions but gave each other secret smiles.

"Now, I'm here to check on Harley's feet. Harley? How do they feel?"

"I can't feel them half the time, but I don't think it's that much of a problem," Harley shrugged and the Doc nodded, walking over to the foot of her bed and unwrapping her feet. She couldn't even look at Optimus, who still stood by the door way. She just stared at the sheets across her lap, clenching them now and again when the Doc pressed on a bruised or sensitive area.

"Well..." The Doc began, standing up straight and rubbing the back of his neck. Harley's uncle looked up at him.

"Well what?"

"Well... looks like you'll have to be put on a few more days' bed rest. Your feet are healing a lot slower than I anticipated."

"Oh, joy," She said with little enthusiasm.

"Don't be so excited."

"Oh shut up, Kuya."

"Mmm... nah."

"Jerk."

"Idiot."

"Man whore."

"Ooh, hit a soft spot there."

"What? Your gut?"

"No, my heart."

"Was always soft."

"You have no heart."

"Nope. Just a black hole."

"Can't you ever just agree with me?"

"Ah... nope!"

"Your stubborn."

"Just like my dad."

"All the more reason to tease you."

"Why?"

"'Cause you look like him, too."

"No, I don't!"

"Yes you do!"

"I look like my mom!"

"You're not that pretty!"

"Le gasp! You're just jealous."

"No, I'm not."

"Yeah, ya are!"

"Oh shut up."

"Nah. Too much fun."

"You're too much," Her uncle rolled his eyes and smiled, patting her leg. The entire time they were arguing, Dr. Ratchet had applied some type of blue jelly to her feet (whatever it was, it was _cold_) and then wrapped them once more. Harley looked up at the Doc with a smile.

"Thanks, Doc."

"No problem," He smiled as well and motioned to her uncle, "Lets go, Greg. I need to speak with you."

"'Kay," Her uncle smiled and then looked around, "Wait, wait! Uh... Here!"

Her uncle reached down and grabbed the tray he came in with and put it in front of Harley.

"What's this?"

"Dinner. I hope you like it," He winked and then walked out with the Doc. Harley saw that Optimus didn't leave with them and placed the tray to the side of her legs, twiddling her thumbs. After a few awkward moments, she sighed, running a hand nervously through her short hair and secretly wished she hadn't cut it. If it was still long, she could hide herself behind a curtain of hair.

"Look..." She said softly, not even looking in the general direction of Optimus, "I'm sorry."

"You lied to us, Harley," Optimus said, almost coldly.

"I know, I know," She said, clenching her jaw. She didn't want to cry again. Not in front of Optimus, "I truly am sorry. I just... I didn't know at the time..."

"Know? Of what? That we were the good guys?" Optimus said, his voice clearly showing his growing anger.

"He misled me!" Harley's voice was growing in pitch as she still refused to look at him.

"But you were too blind to see the truth?"

"I was brainwashed!"

"How?"

"Didn't my uncle tell you? They erased my memory and then basically rewired my brain!"

"Harley, look at me," When she refused, she heard Optimus walking quickly over to her bed and felt his hands grasp her shoulders to make her face him, "I know there was nothing you could do, but you have to see from our point of view."

"Oh? And what did you see?" Harley snapped, "A girl you can just toss into a room 'cause she was misled?"

"It's not like that, Harley."

"Yes, it is!" She yelled, slapping his hands off of her arms, "Optimus, don't even start with me. At least tell me when to be weary when you're gonna lie to me."

"I am not lying to you, Harley. I would never do that."

"Yes, you have."

"No I have not. Do not put words into my mouth, Harley. I would never lie to you."

"You're lying now. Tell me why you're doing this, why you're degrading and belittling me!"

"Because I don't want you to get hurt! I don't want you in this war."

"It's too late for that, Optimus. Megatron dragged me into it."

"And he'll be dead the next time he shows his face to me," Optimus' voice was dark and Harley could see his eyes growing a deeper blue, near purple, color. She opened her mouth but then shut it quickly, unsure of what to say, "No human, especially you, should ever have to be dragged unwillingly into our war. Sam Witwicky has already been dragged in. The people at NEST are willing to help us for the sake of their own world. I don't want you to get hurt, Harley."

"You really don't understand, do you?" She quietly said, tears prickling at her eyes, "I've been poked and prodded and lied to. I've been cut open and rewired and hurt, Optimus. I don't want to be hurt, but I already have been. The past two and a half years have been a massive lie and it kills me that I almost destroyed the people I held dear all my life. Almost destroyed the new friends I've made. Almost destroyed you..."

Optimus' eyes softened when he saw Harley's tears begin to flow. He pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms snuggly against her small frame. Harley bunched his shirt in her hand and dug her face deeper into his chest, the tears coming out harder as she let the dam of emotions burst. He smoothed her hair and rocked her back and forth soothingly for a few moments, allowing her to calm down. Once she reduced down to sniffles, he pulled her away slightly so that he could look at her face. Smiling slightly, he wiped away her tears and brushed a few strands of hair from her face.

"Look. You weren't... exactly you," Optimus said, earning a small smile out of Harley, "They led you to believe that we were the bad guys, that we were the enemies. To them, we are. But they are a threat to your race, and it is our duty, as the ones who brought this war to Earth, to protect each and every human. You are no exception, especially to me."

Harley chuckled slightly, "So... you're not angry?"

"Oh, I'm angry. I'm furious," Optimus said, making Harley flinch a little, "But not at you."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's not you who I'm angry with. It's the, as your uncle likes to call it, 'Decepticon Harley' and Megatron whom I am angry with. The real Harley has no partake in this attack, but the Decepticon Harley did, and that's why we're putting you in here. As much as I want to object, I have a duty as a leader to... correct those who have done wrong."

Harley nodded with a smile, "I understand. Believe me..."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just remembered something," Harley said thoughtfully.

"Oh? What's that?"

"You lied to me earlier. You guys have lied to me."

"Excuse me?"

"Optimus, you're a robot, aren't you?"

Optimus dropped his arms slowly from Harley's waist and grabbed her forearms, looking at her very seriously, "How did you know? How did you figure it out?"

"My memories," She said with a soft smile, "In my memory, I, at the time, was unconcious. But as I watched it, I watched your battle with Megatron, and then Sam saving you by killing Megatron. I knew it was you because Sam called you by your name and your voice is very distinguishable."

"Harley, I know I said I never lied, but that time-"

"You don't need to say anything, Optimus," Harley held up her hand with a smile, clasping his hands in hers, "I knew you had to hide it, I was just upset. You probably did it to not to shock me at first because you all thought I had never seen a Cybertronian before. Truth is... it doesn't bother me much."

"It doesn't?"

"Nope," Harley smiled, "In fact, it just makes you all the more interesting."

"It does?" Optimus raised an eyebrow with an doubtful look on his face, "Tell me how it makes me more interesting, Harley. Enlighten me."

"How many people can say that they're dating a giant robot?"

"So we're dating now?"

"Hey, we kissed. On my standards, that's dating."

"Look, Harley-"

"I kinda figured as much."

"What? I didn't even say anything yet! Why do you keep doing this?"

"I know how hard it is to have your job, to be in charge in anything and everything. Oh god, do I know. You have all these duties to fulfill and saying that you're dating one of the personell's nieces, and the one who is actually from the Decepticons, isn't exactly helping. Trust me, you'll get some pretty nasty reps," Harley smiled softly, raising a hand up and rubbing the palm of it against the side of his cheek, "But don't worry, I can keep a secret. And I can wait."

Optimus smiled warmly, turning his head to kiss her palm and then grabbed the hand, lacing their fingers, "So can I."

Harley gave him a wide smile before leaning in, tilting her head to the side. Optimus returned the smile, leaning in as well. Both their eyes slid closed as their lips touched, their hands unhooking from one another to go to their respective spots: Harley's around Optimus' neck and Optimus' on the small of Harley's back. They pressed close together, enjoying the sparks that were practically flying through the air before pulling away. Optimus pulled Harley close in a hug and she rested her forehead in the slope of his neck. His hand began to massage small circles on her lower back and she sighed, relaxing to the touch.

"You should probably get some sleep," He said lowly into her ear, "You've had a pretty big day."

"Maybe," Harley shrugged, "I still have to eat."

"I understand," Optimus chuckled, "When a girl that needs 36oo calories a day has to eat, she has to eat."

Harley laughed at this, hugging Optimus closer to her and then pulling away, tracing her hands down his arms and then lacing their fingers together. Sighing, she looked at their hands briefly before looking back up at Optimus and getting lost in his eyes.

"I'm really sorry. For... everything."

"Don't be."

"I am. If I hadn't got back my memories at this time, I would've carried out the plan and then what would've happened?"

"Who knows? I might've stopped you," Optimus winked and Harley blushed a deep red, slapping him on the upper arm slightly.

"Get out of here! I gotta eat and go to bed. You should get some rest, too."

"I suppose," He sighed dramatically and Harley laughed. Optimus got up and kissed her on the forehead softly, "Good night, Harley."

"'Night, Optimus," She smiled as she watched him leave. Sighing, she looked at the tray of food and picked it up, weighing it in her hands before picking up the remote to her T.V and turned it on. Quieting it, she vaguely payed attention to the show it was on (which was, evidently, the news) and she popped the blue top off of the plate. Aromas of memories filled the air and Harley half closed her eyes, her face lit up in a smile. The smell of (what her parents loved to joke about) _Pancit Adobo_ made her mouth water. Apparently, there was a little store a ways away called 'Pancit Adobo' and they'd make a joke about the name for some odd reason. Next to the chicken and noodles (a not commonly used meat for it, but also not unknown) were two large lumpia's. She picked up one, the dough hot in her hands, and split it into two, delighted to see that it was filled with pork.

Bringing the lumpia up to her mouth, she blew on it until the steam died down and took a bite, glancing up at the T.V. Nothing new until a 'Breaking News!' bulletin flashed across the screen. Picking up the remote with her other hand, Harley turned up the volume slightly.

"... We're just getting coverage that a fighter jet, an F-22 Raptor, reportedly attacked the city earlier this evening. It has destroyed 4 local buildings and 1o commerical. We have confirmed 8 dead and more than 2o are injured. The initiave blast killed 3 and sent 15 to the hospital, where it took it's 4th and 5th victims."

"Shit..." Harley said as she picked up the chopsticks absently and began to eat the noodles, not bothering to look at the plate to pick up the noodles by the bundle. She put them in her mouth and chewed, her eyes glued to the T.V in front of her. Suddenly, the T.V sparked and all she saw was static snow on the channel. She picked up the remote and changed the channel, seeing that it was only the News Channels that had the snow on them. That, and one other channel that held the weather. Only on that channel, she saw something interesting in the snow.

'_Mission Incomplete. Termination immenent._'

"Well... That's a bitch."

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><p><strong>an: so! that's that chapter :3**

**alice: yep! here's your question!**

**would you rather have longer chapters and longer updates **

**OR**

**shorter chapters and quicker updates?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


	13. Trip

**a/n: waaaah! INTERNET! :O it's a freaking miracle!**

**alice: please don't mind her. **

**me: please don't. just as i was about to update a couple weeks ago- PFFT! my router died (it's the thing that holds my internet intact) and then my friend spillt soda over my laptop so the keyboard didn't work to input a new wifi code. I still don't have a router and had to download this chapter onto a flashdrive to quickly upload it at the library. I'm really sorry for the wait, though... but without further ado... here's chapter 13!**

**alice: enjoy!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 13: Trip<span>

Harley had been stuck on bed rest for the past 4 days and stuck in her solitary room for the past week. To say that she's been going crazy is putting it very mildly.

She has already sketched up so many drawings that it took up two of the four walls in her room. Most of them were about wildlife: birds, plants, animals. Anything you could see on the Nature channel, she drew. She always had to keep her hands moving to prevent herself from going insane.

Over the course of the 11 days, she only had a few visitors. Between the visits she got from Dr. Ratchet and her uncle, Optimus, Lia, Tobias, and Sides also stopped by now and again. Hannah had only been in once, just to give her more drawing supplies when everyone had been off base for some mission. Even Lia and Tobias had went!

Today was another day that Harley woke up bored to. Her feet, thankfully, had healed well enough so that she could stand and walk without being in any excruciating pain nor had to use anything to really support her. She still had to take antibiotics and her feet still needed to be wrapped, but they weren't so bad.

Sometime during the week, her uncle and Optimus had came in and explained the entire operation to her, from why the Autobots came to Earth right on down to the end of the battle and the creation of NEST. Many of the details were the same as Megatron had told, although she now understood why Megatron had done what he did and why he misled her.

She was just a pawn. A tool. Something to play with in the meantime.

And it angered her, to her surprise.

Of course they explained how her parents died (vaguely, to her relief) and how scared her uncle was when he lost her. He thought that "Kuya would arise from his grave, smack me a time or two, get a shotgun and make sure I couldn't have children of my own, tell me to go find you, and then play dead once more". Quote, unquote.

Harley still chuckled at the horrified look on his face, knowing her father would do so.

Sighing, Harley sat up in her bed, looking over at the blue pillow Lia had brought into her at the beginning of the week and reached under it. Her fingers met cool plastic and they clasped on, removing the photo from beneath the pillow. It was the photograph she took with her from the Decepticon base. The woman in the picture looked nothing like the mother she remembered. For one thing, she was white whereas the woman her father married was clearly Filipino. Another thing was the woman in the photo was blonde hair, blue eyes and her mother was black hair, brown eyes. It almost alarmed her in a sense.

Had her father cheated?

Who was this woman?

The questions stirred continuously in her mind until she heard a knock at the door.

"It's open," She said, slipping the photo beneath the pillow before looking up and smiling, seeing her uncle, Dr. Ratchet, and Optimus all standing there.

"Hey, Harls," Her uncle smiled, walking forward with a tray of food, "You _do _know that your feet are well enough to walk on, right?"

"I know," She shrugged, reaching out for the tray.

"Then why didn't you answer the door?" Her uncle asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching her pop the top off, smiling at the wide array of fruits.

"You know me too well," She muttered, popping in a piece of juicy cantaloupe in her mouth before looking up at her uncle, "Oh, and 'cause I'm too lazy."

"Ain't that the truth," He laughed and Harley smacked him on the upper arm, rolling her eyes.

"Well, Harley," They both turned to look at the Doctor, a smile on his face, "Your bandages can come off today. You'll probably need a thin gauze wrap to prevent possible infections but it won't be too thick like the bandages you have on now."

"'Kay," She said, smiling as she chewed on a piece of Starfruit. She turned on the T.V and payed no mind to any of the guys in the room. It wasn't like they were talking to her or anything. Her uncle had gotten up and pulled Optimus to the side, the two talking lowly about something while the Doc had unwrapped her feet, checked a few of the areas that were worse in the beginning, and began to wrap her feet in an athletic-type gauze. Once he was done, he looked up at Harley with a smile.

"Alrighty, you're all done, Harley."

"Thanks, Doc," She smiled, now chewing on a piece of Watermelon. She always loved the summer, not only did it mean going swimming, but it also meant all the sweet and juicy fruits were in season. She saw her uncle nod and Optimus smile, glancing over at her. As the doctor walked out of the room, her uncle turned around and gave Harley a smile.

"See ya in a little while, Harls!" And with that he left. Optimus chuckled and walked over to Harley, who in turn raised an eyebrow.

"That was odd, even for Kuya," She laughed softly and moved her legs a little to the side, letting Optimus have a little room as he sat down on the bed. He smiled and nodded, his blue eyes twinkling, "Should I be afraid of that gleam in your eye?"

"No. You should be happy," Harley gave Optimus an odd look, definitely afraid now.

"Oh goodness, what did I do now?"

"Nothing!" Optimus laughed, holding up his hands, "Honestly, Harley, you haven't. You've been good so we've decided you can come along with me on a retrieval mission."

"Really? I can get out?" A smile wormed it's way onto Harley's face before she practically tackled Optimus in a hug. He wasn't expecting it so it threw him off balance a bit, having to support the both of them from tumbling over with one arm on the bed and his other arm wrapped around Harley's waist. It didn't really help, seeing as the both ended up rolling off of the bed and onto the floor. Harley landed on top of Optimus and the two both burst into a fit of laughter. After a moment or two, they both calmed down and just lied there. Harley had rested her head right over where Optimus' heart would be and her arms draped around his wide torso. Optimus had one arm snuggly wrapped around her waist and the other was lying against the small of her back, his hand playing with her short hair. Harley smiled contently, pressing her cheek into his chest and inhaling his scent. He almost smelled like a cross between a pine tree and oil. It was an odd combination but it comforted her in a sense.

"So..." Optimus broke the silence softly, still playing with her hair, "I take that as a 'Yes' to go?"

She looked up at him and laughed, nodding in the process. Optimus smiled back and leant down, placing a soft kiss on her lips. They pulled away before being drawn back to each other almost immediately, the second kiss lasting a lot longer than the first. Harley moved her hands from the side of Optimus' torso to wrapped around his neck, her fingers brushing the carpet beneath his head. Both their eyes slid closed and they tilted their heads just so slightly so that their lips fit perfectly together. After a moment or two, Harley pulled away but Optimus wouldn't have it. He just continued to kiss her everywhere but her mouth: her cheek, her chin, her jawline, her neck. He placed a soft kiss on each part of flesh his mouth had access to.

"We should stop before someone comes in," Harley breathed, not putting much enthusiasm into her words.

"Who's going to come in?" Optimus muttered against her skin, making it vibrate in a way that sent a pleasurable shiver down her spine. Harley's fingers curled around the carpet as she bit her lip. She didn't want anyone coming in when they were in such a position if she made any kind of sound.

"P-please Optimus. My Kuya c-could come back in, or the Doc," She practically stuttered out as Optimus kissed his way further down her neck and across the plains of exposed skin on the upper portion of her chest, "M-Maybe we could continue this when we're sure to be alone?"

"Hmm?" This made Optimus stop and look up at her with dark eyes. She's only seen his eyes dark once, when he told her he would kill Megatron the next time he saw him, but this time the darkness was for something different. He wasn't angry, rather, but it was almost a ravenous look. She knew that look just about anywhere, many boys she had passed by on the street had given her just a glimpse of the ravenous look. But this... He was staring straight into her eyes with it. It excited her when he looked at her like that and she wanted to explore it further but her fear of someone interrupting was stronger.

"C'mon. Didn't you say we had to go somewhere?" Harley tried to get up but Optimus' arms just tightened around her waist.

"Not for a while, really..."

"O-Optimus, please," She looked down at him with pleading eyes, "I promise we'll pick up later when we're gauranteed to be alone. Just... wait until then? For me?"

Optimus opened his mouth to protest but it stopped short and he exhaled a sigh, his mouth twisting into a crooked smile. His arms tightened once more before completely letting her go. Harley stood up with a smile and held out her hand. Optimus covered her small hand with his large one and used her as a slight leverage to get up then had let it go. Dusting himself off, Optimus smiled once more and held out his hand for Harley. She gave him an odd look.

"What?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows and cocking his head to the side, "You don't want to hold my hand?"

"No, no!" Harley said hurriedly, smiling to reassure him, "I just... didn't want anything mean circulating about you. I don't want you to get hurt like that."

"Oh," Optimus laughed softly, taking Harley's hand in his and intertwining their fingers, "I don't care about anything people would say. They don't have the guts to say it to my face, anyways. All I care about is what you say. Are you happy, Harley?"

"How could you ask such a thing?" She looked up at him, leaning into him with a soft smile, "Of course I am, Optimus. God, I've never been so happy to see someone whenever you step through my door. I've never been so happy to hear someone whenever you talk to me. I've never been so happy to be in the company of someone whenever you're around. I've never been so happy, period. Don't think, even for a second, that I would ever regret meeting you or be so angry with you that I never want to see you again. I know we just met and all but... I think I might love you, Optimus..."

Harley looked down on the last part, embarassed by her confession. The thought had been plagueing her for the past few days. Sure, she's said she's loved another boy before, but don't all teenagers say they're in love with their boyfriend or girlfriend? And Optimus was not a boy, he wasn't even human! But he had stirred something within her that even she hadn't known was there. It was something that was always drawing her to him like a moth to a flame and whenever she gave in (which was more often than not), she had the best feeling in the world. However, Harley wasn't sure if it was love that was driving her or just lust. Sure, Optimus was a sweetheart and caring and all, but what Optimus looked like was what most women fantasized about. Tall, dark, and very handsome with deep blue eyes and a dimple in his left cheek whenever he gave her a crooked smile. Harley _was _a human with hormones, after all. But the more she thought about it, the more she doubted the second reason. Perhaps she did love him.

"Hey, look at me," Optimus said softly, placing his finger beneath her chin and raising it so he could look into her eyes. He gave a soft smile and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before returning his gaze to her eyes, "If you're not ready to say it, you don't have to. This is all probably quite scary to you. After all, you've only known me for about a week and a half to two weeks. You don't have to rush anything."

"I know," Harley sighed, reaching up with her free hand and intertwining her fingers with the hand Optimus had beneath her chin, "I just... I just felt that I needed to say it."

"You don't need to say anything. Your eyes say it all," Optimus smiled again and Harley couldn't help but smile back, reaching up on her tip toes to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Optimus."

"For what?"

"For entering my life."

"You're getting cheesy, Harley."

"I know. But what's life without a little cheese?"

"A boring life."

"A boring life indeed," Harley laughed as Optimus did. After a moment or two, they quieted down and Optimus smiled down on her.

"So... You ready?"

"Oh! Yeah. Do I need anything?"

"No. We won't be gone for long."

"Okay. Let's go," Harley smiled and Optimus nodded, unlocking one of their hands and walking towards the door. Harley followed closely behind him as he led her through the hallways, hiding somewhat behind his tall body. Optimus walked quickly outside and strided to one of the hangars she wasn't familiar with. Lia never really told her what went on here so she never bothered, not exactly wanting to know. Outside were several cars that she recognized from the day her, Sides, and Lia went shopping. One that always stood out to her was the large, blue Peterbilt Semi Truck with red flames. Optimus looked across the lot and nodded to someone Harley couldn't see and opened the passengers door, gesturing for Harley to climb in. She looked between him and the Semi.

"What?" Optimus asked.

"This is your car?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Nothing, it just doesn't... seem like you so much."

"Oh? And what does?"

"I dunno. Just never pegged you as a trucker. At least you keep in shape," Harley shrugged and looked up at the cabin, which the floor was about level to her stomach, "How am I supposed to get in here?"

Without a word, Optimus wrapped his hands carefully around Harley's waist and lifted her effortlessly into the cabin of the Semi. Squeaking out of surprise, Harley barely had time to get her bearings before the door clicked shut and Optimus climbed into the driver's seat. She buckled up quickly and practically sank into the comfortable seats. The soft leather was cool against her somewhat hot skin and she just melded to the seats. Optimus chuckled as he pulled off the base and into the woods.

"I take it you like the interior?"

"Mhmm. Very comfortable," Harley smiled lazily and reclined a bit, stretching her back until she heard a satisfying pop.

"That sounded like it hurt."

"Nah. I'm used to it."

"Ah. You should probably rest, we have a long ways ahead of us."

"But I'm not tired!"

"Fine, suit yourself. I'm just telling you it's a ways away," Optimus chuckled, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the arm rest. Harley reached over and clasped his hand in hers, her fingers slipping between his easily. Optimus smiled and rubbed the pad of his thumb across the back of her hand. The two sat in silence for a while, Harley watching the scenery with interest as it passed by. The silence wasn't uncomfortable at all, it was very comforting, like a warm blanket on a cold day. There was no tension, no apprehension, nothing to make the silence awkward. But for some odd reason, something had been eating at Harley in the back of her mind and it finally dawned on her what it was.

She was going to get terminated soon.

She didn't know when. She didn't know how. All she knew was that it was immenent. She squeezed Optimus' hand tighter without knowing as she continued to think about the gruesome future of hers. She didn't want to get Optimus or her friends involved. She sure as hell didn't want to involve her uncle. He's been through enough.

Optimus looked at her through the corner of his eye and noticed a worried look in hers. He gave her hand a squeeze and she seemed to snap out of a reverie, looking over at him, "Are you okay? You look troubled."

"Me? No, I'm fine. Don't worry."

"I don't believe you."

"I'm just... thinking I guess."

"About what?"

"Just... nothing," Harley looked over at Optimus with a slightly fake smile, "Don't worry, okay? It's nothin'. Just thinking about nonsense."

Optimus pursed his lips, still not believing her, but decided to leave the matter alone. He didn't want to stir anything that might upset her.

"Just... relax, okay? Like I said, our destination is a ways away."

"How long will it take to get there?"

"Driving? Probably about a week."

"A week?" Harley looked at Optimus, disbelief in her eyes, "Where the hell are we going?"

"New York. I have to go retrieve someone that is important to NEST right now and we need him. They asked me to go because it seems that he only listens to me and BumbleBee. BumbleBee has already set out to get his attention. I'm supposed to bring him back."

"Ah," Was all she said with a nod, staring out the window. She heard Optimus sigh and she felt him pull off the highway. Scrunching her eyebrows, she looked at him with an odd expression and felt the Semi's driving turn shaky as he turned onto a dirt road. The sky was darkening quickly and a few clouds hung low on the mountains in the distance. Optimus had pulled onto a dirt road that lead deep into the forest. They continued on the road and the forest became thicker as they went, the trees crowding in on them and Harley felt suddenly very trapped. There were no openings between the trees except for the ones in front of Optimus' semi and in the back. She looked up at Optimus, who had a thoughtful look on his face, "Where are we going?"

"I wanted to show you something."

"And we have to go to the middle of the forest why?"

"Not a lot of people can really see this."

"Ah."

They continued on their way silently, the road seeming like it would never end. After a half an hour, the road finally opened up into a large valley. Filled to the brim with tall grass, there were patches of wildflowers growing throughout the entirety of the valley. It was surrounded on all sides with trees and on one side was a sheer cliff, a waterfall seeming to split it in half and it flowed into a river that speared the valley. The only light that illuminated it was the light of a full moon and it was all quite beautiful.

"Wow," Was all Harley could say. Her hands were itching to sketch the landscape and she wished she had grabbed her sketchpad and pencils before she had left.

"Yeah," Optimus chuckled, "Wow is right. I found this secluded area a little while ago while I was out patroling. I don't really remember how I had came to find it, but I'm glad I did."

"It's spectacular," Harley smiled. Optimus rolled to a stop in the middle and she realized her buckle was already undone. Not giving it any second thoughts, she opened her door and practically jumped to the ground below. Breathing in the pristine air, she smiled and looked over her shoulder at Optimus, standing next to his truck. He looked as if he were deep in thought this time. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she made her way over, grabbing both his hands and his attention, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," He smiled, "Just wondering how I'm going to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"You already know my secret and you've basically seen me-"

"But I've never really met you. The real you."

"Basically."

"I already know of you. Why not just show me?"

"I guess I'm afraid."

"You? The great Optimus Prime that I've heard numerous incredible stories about your bravery and courage and you're afraid of showing me your true form?"

"You got me," Optimus chuckled nervously. Harley smiled softly and reached a hand up, making him look at her.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. You're talking to the girl who's lived with Decepticons for the past two years."

"I know. It's just... I'm afraid you'd be too afraid to come near me."

"You worry too much. You're becoming more human than you realize, Optimus."

"I get that alot now," Optimus laughed. Harley smiled, glad to know that she was able to get a smile out of him. Optimus reached up and brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek and smiled when she leant into the touch. He leaned down and kissed each of her eyelids before placing another kiss on her lips. He pulled completely away and Harley opened her eyes. Stepping back, she already had a feeling of what he was about to do. Her eyes moved from Optimus to his truck and back when she realized he had disappeared. Blinking, she looked back at the truck when she heard the familiar hissing and metal groans of a bot transforming. Holding her breath, Harley watched as Optimus began to stand up to his full size, her eyes wide in wonder. She imagined him to large, as she saw he was taller than Megatron, but she never anticipated how small she would feel standing at his feet.

"Wow," She said, her neck craning just to see his face. Optimus chuckled, his voice now holding a bit of a robotic tone to it, and kneeled before her. She could see his optics clearly, the color still the pure blue as his other... form? She didn't know what to call it. Reaching out slowly, her fingers grazed the metal that made up his cheeks. It was cool to her touch and smooth as she flattened out her palm. Her hand was tiny compared to his cheek and she giggled at the thought. Optimus raised an eyebrow (or whatever they call it) and gave her an odd look.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because I realized how small I really am compared to you," She looked into his optics and smiled. Optimus returned it and put his hand on the ground. Harley gave it a questioning look and Optimus chuckled, "Get on."

"Oh," She said quietly and stepped onto the hand. His fingers curled in, like a wall between her and the ground below, and she grasped onto his index finger as he lifted her up. Squeaking lightly, she clung to the finger as he lifted her higher and higher.

"No need to be afraid. I've got you," Optimus said softly and Harley lessened her grasp with a sheepish smile. He chuckled and brought her close to his chest, cradling her in a way, and she felt the warmth of his Spark thrumming against her back. She pressed against his chest plate, enjoying the warmth the Spark wrapped her in. It was like a security blanket to her and it instantly calmed her. She was _not _a big fan of heights, if at all. She hated them but the gentle thrumming of Optimus' Spark made her feel at home. Sighing contently, Harley sunk lower until she was sitting in Optimus' open palm, her back against his chest and her arm wrapped loosely around his thumb. He chuckled and began to walk towards the river, taking 5-6 steps to what would have to be nearly 2oo for her. She wasn't that tall, either...

"This is amazing..." Harley said, taking her eyes off the river and looking around. She had never seen the world from so high up and it was amazing! The trees looked like they were mini Christmas trees, standing tall in a miniscule scale. The sheer cliff that looked huge and tall from the ground looked almost similar in height, the top of the cliff barely taller than Optimus. He walked until his feet barely touched the edge of the river before he sat down carefully. One leg was across the river like a bridge and the other was bent up. He set down Harley on the flat leg and she sat down on his knee, unwrapped the gauze on her feet, and gently lowered her feet into the river. The rush of the current hurt a bit in the beginning and she winced every time she inched a new part of her foot in.

"Are you alright? Do you need anything to ease the pain?" Optimus asked, worry clear in his voice, and Harley looked up at him with a smile and a shake of her head.

"No. I'm fine, really. But thank you, Optimus. My feet are just a bit tender."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Harley smiled and looked down at her feet swinging in the river for a moment before looking back up at Optimus, "Optimus? Was that your... holoform, I think it's what it's called, that I'm always with? Your human form?"

"Yes. And yes, it is called a holoform."

"Why do you need it?"

"We want a way to interact with humans without frightening them too severely or thinking that we're going to kill them. We can feel a lot more in our holoforms than in our true forms."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"In our true forms, we have nerve endings in only a few places. Places like our hands, feet, chest, knees, elbows, little places like that. In our holoforms, we can feel just like a human can. It was a new experience when we first began using our holoforms, I tell you. Many of us would train with Hide to build up mass on our holoforms. Even though they aren't real, we can feel the same pain as our holoforms can."

"Really? How?"

"In order to have our holoforms bind to us permanently, Ratchet had been able to find out how much of our Spark he could remove and put into the holoform. We cannot be more than 5o miles from our true form in our holoform. The further we get away from our true form, the less control we have over our holoforms and even the simplest of tasks, like walking, breathing, and blinking, become increasingly difficult. Even though we are not human, our holoforms are the closest thing we have to being one. We have to breathe, we have to eat, we preform every function a human body does. It was a strange feeling in the beginning but we all have gotten used to it."

"That's... amazing," Harley said quietly once Optimus had stopped talking. The technology was so advanced to her that it almost seemed science fictional. Then again, she _was _sitting on the knee of the robot she had taken quite a liking to. Swinging her feet, she realized a chill had began to set in. Shivering, she looked around, confused, "How did it get so cold?"

"We're higher up in altitude. We're near the top of the mountain that overlook Mission City. We left too late in the day to really go far so I thought we'd stop here for the night. It can get pretty chilly up here. I also heard another storm cell is setting in."

"Damn Monsoon season," Harley muttered and Optimus laughed. She looked up at him, "What? How many times has it rained since I got here."

"A few times. Diego Garcia _is _on the coast of California. We're bound to get more storms than further inland. Now, come on. Let's get you out of the cold," Optimus held out a hand to the now continously shivering Harley. She happily climbed onto it and snuggled up against Optimus' chest, enjoying the warmth. He walked back to the middle of the clearing and set her down in the soft grass. She watched as he folded into himself and finally into his car form, his holoform jumping out of the cabin with a half-smile. Harley practically ran up to him to be engulfed in his arms, already warming up her rapidly cooling skin. A breeze had picked up and it sent another shiver through her.

"It's cold," She muttered into his chest and Optimus chuckled, swinging her feet from under her, and picking her up with ease. Harley squeaked and snuggled closer to Optimus' warm body. She didn't care if it was real or not. It felt real and it was warm and it made her feel safe. She felt Optimus climb into the cabin of the Semi and the drivers seat reclined, allowing both her and Optimus to lie down comfortably. He rolled to the side, Harley now lying on top, and closed the door with a soft click. There were purple lowlights along the interior of the cabin and they illuminated everything in a purplish hue. Harley chuckled and looked at the lowlights, "Really Optimus? Purple lowlights?"

"It gave the cabin some personality," He just shrugged with a laugh. Harley laughed as well and wrapped her arms around his neck, playing with the soft hair there. Optimus relaxed to her touch and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to her neck. Then another to her shoulder. And another to her jaw. He continued to press kisses along her neck and jaw, each one adding more pressure to the skin. Her arms tightened around his neck and she pressed her body closer to him, her fingers massaging small circles on his neck. Optimus glanced up, his eyes growing darker again, as he muttered against her skin, "You promised we'd pick this up when we were garaunteed to be alone."

"I did. Notice how I'm not stopping you?" Harley breathed, looking down at him and watched him smirk, bringing her face to his and kissing her fiercely.

'_Why is it that I get the feeling we aren't going to go to bed early tonight?_' Harley thought to herself as Optimus rolled them over on the seat, pressing her into the leather. The more she thought about it...

The more she didn't care.

* * *

><p><strong>an: *blushes* i don't write things like that typically**

**alice: but you sure do pull it off *wink wink***

**me: shut up!**

**alice: no! **

**me: mehrong! antyways!**

**What do you guys think of the chapter?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


	14. Bruises

**a/n: omona! i'm suuuuuper sorry for the late update! i've been drowning inpiles of end-of-semester projects and online classes.**

**alice: and her grandma bein in the hospital**

**me: shut up. this is the third story you've told them about my grandma! leave my business be!**

**alice: this is the third story you've explained why the late update**

**me: yeah, that's it: _EXPLAINING_**

**alice: oy. just enjoy the damned chapter**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 14: Bruises <span>

Harley stretched out in the large seat, the leather warm against her cold skin. She smiled when she felt someone drawing small circles in her lower back.

"Have a good sleep?" His deep voice rumbled in her ear, sending pleasurable shivers up and down her spine. Harley smiled wider, looping her arms around Optimus' neck, pulling him impossibly closer to her.

"The best I've had in a while."

"I wonder why," He chuckled, kissing her shoulder softly, "Mmm, we need to get moving."

"Aww, but Optimus!" Harley whined, a ghost of a smile dancing on her features, "I don't even have clean clothes!"

"They're in the back of the cabin," He gestured to the space behind the lounged seats. Harley raised a questioning brow, "What?"

"You brought my clothes?"

"That's why I didn't need you to grab anything."

"That's an invasion of personal belongings."

"Do you really care?"

"Nope," Both Harley and Optimus laughed, bringing each other into a soft and gentle kiss. When they pulled away, Harley sat up and stretched more. She heard Optimus suck in a breath and she couldn't help but chuckle, looking over her shoulder, "Hey, you said we needed to get moving."

"We do. Doesn't mean I can't enjoy the view," He smirked, lying further back and placing his hands under his head before furrowing his brow. Harley cocked her head to the side, wondering what would cause such a sudden change in Optimus. He reached up and barely brushed his finger tips on the indent of her side, "Harley... I'm... I'm so sorry..."

"Why are you apologizing? What's..." Harley looked down at her side and saw a large bruised area right where his hand was, 4 distinct marks the size of his fingers. Looking on her other side, she saw that they were there as well. Turning, she saw a look of deep guilt and regret on Optimus' face. She reached out and brushed her fingers on his cheek, feeling a slice of pain when he flinched away.

"Primus, Harley. I didn't... I mean I... I didn't realize that..." He couldn't seem to finish a sentence and Harley felt really bad for making him feel the way he did even though she fully knew that she wasn't the one who was making him feel bad. It was himself.

"Shh," She said, pressing a finger to his lips. Optimus closed his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh before opening his eyes once more, "It's not your fault. I just have sensitive skin, that's all."

"But what if I really hurt you, Harley, and you're just trying to give me some peace of mind? What then? Do you hurt anywhere?" Optimus sat up and turned Harley to face him, his eyes scanning her form.

"I don't really feel anything but soreness of sleeping in one position for too long," Harley shrugged and followed his gaze. The bruises continued to print her rib cage, thighs and calves. Optimus shook his head, letting it fall into his open hand.

"What have I done?" He asked quietly, more to himself than anything.

"You have done nothing wrong. Nothing wrong at all," Harley lifted his head so that she could look him straight in the eye. All she saw was deep guilt. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair and winced a bit. Glancing down, she saw that there were bruises on her forearms as well, but these were darker and were more sensitive, "Look, Optimus, you did nothing wrong. I wanted it."

"And I should've been more careful!" He quietly raged, his hand shooting out and grasping her wrist almost painfully. Wrenching her arm out, he gestured to her dark purple and black bruises, "Is _this _what you wanted? !"

"No!" Harley said defensively, trying to wrench her wrist from his grip. Optimus let it drop and pounded a fist on the driver's side door, "Optimus, I have really sensitive skin. I get bruises all the time and sometimes they're worse than this."

"That's not the point, Harley," Optimus said lowly, not looking her in the eye.

"Then what is?" She lifted his face gently. Optimus sighed heavily and took her hand in his, looking her dead in the eye.

"I caused the bruises, Harley. I can crush you without giving it so much a thought. I don't want that to happen. I don't want to live with the guilt of harming you or even killing you," He traced slight patterns on her hand, which was small in his palm.

"Optimus..." Harley said softly, grasping his palm and squeezing tightly, looking up at him, "I can take care of myself. I don't want you thinking that I'm so fragile."

"Around me, you are," He said softly, brushing the backs of his knuckles against the side of her face. Harley sighed contently, closing her eyes and leaning into the touch. Optimus smiled softly and leant in, placing a feather-light kiss on her forehead before completely pulling away. Feeling the loss of touch, Harley opened her eyes and a half smile quirked at the corner of her mouth. Optimus returned it and jerked his head towards the back of the cabin, "Now go on and get changed. We need to leave."

"Alright, alright!" Harley laughed, getting up and moving to the back of the cabin, "I'm goin', I'm goin'."

"Mhm," Optimus chuckled, his holoform disappearing before reappearing, fully clothed. Harley looked over her shoulder after rummaging through the things there and pulling on her undergarments.

"That's not fair!" She whined, yanking a random shirt over her head and pulled on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans. Optimus laughed loudly and pulled up both seats just in time to have Harley climb back up, "You get to put on your clothes with no effort!"

"Well, that sucks for you," Optimus chuckled when Harley backhanded his arm (which resulted in her cracking her knuckles in the process). She shook her hand, letting out a short string of curses while Optimus continued to chuckle, picking his way out of the valley and back onto the bumpy road. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, his chuckles dying down, "Put on your seatbelt."

"No," She pouted, crossing her arms like a little child. Optimus only raised an eyebrow with a chuckle, making no indications of moving to strap her in. She squeaked out of surprise when she felt the seatbelt coil tightly around her waist. She looked up at him with a look of surprise before the truth dawned on her. Harley face-palmed, groaning lightly, "God, I'm stupid."

"You're not stupid," Optimus said quietly, "Just oblivious."

"Same difference."

"No, it isn't, Harley," Optimus said, almost sharply as they pulled back onto the deserted road that winded down the mountain, "You are not stupid. You can be oblivous, yes, but you are a very bright and intelligent girl."

Harley pursed her lips, not exactly knowing what to say. Optimus sighed and gave her a crooked smile, looking at her with his deep blue eyes.

"Look, Harley, I hate it when people belittle themselves. Sam Witwicky did it to himself before and I got angry with him about it. Don't think for a moment that you're anything less than perfect in your own way."

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not."

Harley didn't want to argue so she kept her mouth shut. Optimus gave her a crooked smile and reached for her, grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers. Harley allowed him to do so, a smile working it's way onto her face. Optimus worked his way onto the freeway and drove at a cruising speed. The rumble of the engine made her eyes begin to droop. Optimus chuckled, watching her head begin to slump against the seat.

"Lean back and sleep. We do have a long ways ahead of us," His voice was soothing to her, like a lullaby, and coupled with the gentle vibrations of the engine made sleep sound quite good to her.

"Fine," Harley smiled sleepily and Optimus smiled back, watching her recline her seat and curl up on it, her tiny body fitting neatly on the leather. Harley let her heavy eyelids slide close and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The rest of the week went by fast. Optimus stopped every night so Harley wouldn't get tired of sleeping in his passenger's seat (not that she did at all) so that hindered them by a day. By the time they made it to New York, Harley had been drawing like mad. Optimus decided to bring her sketch pad along with them and she was more than grateful. Every state they passed, each new biome they entered, she drew. By the time they made it to Time's Square, Optimus' whole sleeper in the back had stacks of papers, each holding their own detailed sketch of a landscape, animal, or plant. Optimus didn't mind. It kept her occupied and it didn't make him worry if she was going insane from boredom or anything.<p>

Harley was in the middle of furiously sketching when she noticed Optimus slowing down. Glancing up, she noticed she was in a cemetery. Putting down her sketch pad and pencils, she looked over at Optimus, "Optimus? Why are we in some creepy cemetery?"

"I have some business I need to tend to," Optimus said, rolling to a stop and unbuckling Harley. He hopped out of the driver's side and opened the door to the passengers, helping her down.

"My, what a gentleman," Harley joked and Optimus all but rolled his eyes, kissing her on the forehead before his holoform disappeared and he stood up in his true form. Giving her a wink, he walked up one of the hills and stood there. She followed quietly, standing behind one of the pillars and poked her head out from the side. She saw Bee parked a ways away and a boy scrambling up the side of the hill. By the descriptions everyone on base gave her, Harley figured it was Sam Witwicky.

"A day? You couldn't give me one day, huh?" He looked up at Optimus, who suddenly looked extremely serious.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Harley heard Optimus speak in a tone she never heard before. He sounded very professional and strictly business. It was odd to her, "Unfortunately, the last shard of the AllSpark has been stolen."

"By, like, the Decepticons?" Sam asked and Harley looked up at Optimus. This was news to her. Optimus glanced down at her and gave her a half smile before returning his attention to Sam, who had now noticed her, "Hey. Who are you?"

"Sam, I'd like you to meet Harley Pewitt. She was there at Mission City a few years ago, the one who decided to distract Megatron to allow you to escape?"

"Oh! I remember! You had longer hair then," Sam smiled and Harley nodded, walking out from her hiding spot. Sam looked back up at Optimus, "What do you suppose we do then?"

"I am not sure, Sam. But we need your help. Your government doesn't seem to trust us."

"What am I supposed to do? Be an ambassador? I want to get away from this all! I just want to be normal!" He threw his hands up, spun around, and stomped back to Bee. He climbed into the drivers seat and slammed the door. Wincing slightly at the loud sound, Harley looked up at Optimus, who sighed and ran a hand over his helm.

"Sometimes that boy..." He started before looking down at Harley.

"You okay? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know he would be this difficult. I also did not know that the Spark shard would be stolen. Lennox had called me about it yesterday and asked if I could ask Sam to vouch for us. You saw how that went."

"I'm sorry, Optimus," Harley walked up to his foot and placed a hand on it. Optimus crouched down and ran a finger along her cheek, the metal cool on her skin.

"For what? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I dunno. Just... the whole situation, I suppose. I guess the Decepticons are planning something. And not something small like an assassination," Harley thought aloud, walking away from Optimus and running a hand through her hair, "They would've sent Alice for that. Do you know what they sent to take the Spark Shard?"

"I believe they used a Decepticon that looks like a large cat?" Optimus said, sitting down in a more comfortable position to watch her. Harley paced back and forth, thinking intently.

"If they used Ravage to retrieve the Spark fragment, that means that Megatron wanted it to be on the down-low. If he wanted to create a scene, he would've used Alice. She's good at distractions," Harley said, speaking more to herself than to Optimus, who was taking in every piece of information she gave him, "Unless..."

"Unless?"

"Unless he's already deployed Alice in a distraction mission. Ravage must've been on just a retrieval mission, not a retrieve and kill. He's the best at sneaking around camera's. That's why Megatron must've sent him!" Harley continued to pace, "But maybe that's not all. This is part of something bigger. _Much _bigger."

She finally stopped and looked up at Optimus, who was staring at her.

"So, what you're saying is that Megatron is planning something?" Optimus asked. Harley shook her head, giving him a helpless look.

"I don't know. I'm sorry, Optimus. I'm no help at all."

"You've done more than enough, Harley," Optimus smiled and ran his finger down her cheek again. Harley sighed contently, closing her eyes and leaning to the touch. After a moment, Optimus pulled away and walked down the hill onto the road. Harley followed and waited until he was done transforming into his alt. form and climbed into the passenger's seat. His holoform appeared in the driver's and "drove" out of the cemetery.

"Just... make sure everyone's on their toes, 'kay?" Harley looked over at Optimus with a smile.

"Don't worry. Let me do that," Optimus reached over and intertwined their fingers together. Harley smiled and squeezed his hand before returning her attention to the road.

* * *

><p>"Harley. Harley, wake up!" Harley felt a little jab at her shoulder. Stretching, she felt her feet hit Optimus' dashboard.<p>

"What?" She said quietly, sitting up and finding herself in Optimus' cabin. When she fell asleep last night, it was at the Hamptons! She looked over to see a very tense Optimus, "Is... is everything okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I just got a call from Lennox that the Decepticon's are on the move. We needed to get out of there and to help out the rest of the Autobots," Harley noticed that Optimus was doing 2o over the speed limit and his holoform's knuckles were beginning to turn white. Harley reached over and laid a small hand on his and Optimus looked over at her. Releasing one hand from the steering wheel, he clasped her hand in his, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

"Don't try and play it off, Optimus. I've been around stuff like this for a while now. I'm not stupid," Harley smiled and Optimus chuckled.

"I know. It's... more of a habit now."

"To try and reassure someone?"

"Mm."

"Ah," Harley returned her attention back to the road where she saw Optimus driving into an industrial yard. He rolled to a stop a few hundred feet from a factory building and opened the passengers door.

"Harley, I need you to stay here, okay?" Optimus looked at her very seriously.

"Optimus..." Harley said quietly, not wanting to leave him. She didn't know what Megatron would do when he saw his brother and she honestly didn't want to find out. Optimus reached out and ran the back of his hand along her cheek. Harley clasped his hand and held it tightly, looking straight into his eyes. Optimus gave her a crooked smile and kissed her softly before pulling away. Harley climbed out of the cabin and watched him transform. Back when she lived with the Decepticons she always thought when they transformed, it was a nasty thing that looked like it hurt and it kind of bore her. When Optimus transformed, it was more graceful and intricate, something she could probably watch for a long time without getting bored. She watched him jog towards the building and climb on top of it, waiting for the right moment to crash in. After a moment or two, he dove in. Flinching, she heard someone roar in pain and metal groaning along with glass shattering. Not wanting to be anywhere near any flying debris, she ran and hid behind a nearby tree, her eyes glued to factory. She saw a flash of yellow zoom across her peripheral vision and saw Bumblebee speed by, "What's Bee doing here?"

Before her question could be answered, she saw Optimus rush by, stopping briefly to allow her to climb into the cabin.

"Optimus? Are you alright?" She asked, looking at the radio seeing as Sam was in the driver's seat instead of Optimus.

"Yes, I'm alright Harley," She felt the seatbelt tighten around her torso slightly before she turned to Sam, who looked paler than he normally was.

"And you? Are you alright, Sam?"

"No! No, I'm not! I just had my skull probed a-and the thing plunged into my deep tissue of my brain! Do you think I'm alright? !" He shrieked at her. Harley just raised an eyebrow.

"Scream like that at me again and I'll make sure you'll never scream again," She said quietly and Sam sat back, looking at her with a slightly crazed look.

"Easy, Harley," Optimus said as he suddenly stopped, his doors opening and allowing the two to stumble out before transforming. Just as he stood up, he was thrown to the ground as he was tackled.

"Optimus!" Harley shouted, wanting to help but not knowing what hit him. Her eyes widened as she saw Starscream look at her from atop of Optimus.

"Oh? What's this? Megatron's pet betraying him?" Starscream began to reach for Harley but Optimus got to him before he could wrap his fingers around her, wrenching his arm behind his back.

"Don't you touch her!" Optimus growled, tossing him to the side. Turning back to Harley and Sam, he nodded to the fallen trees around, "Hide!"

"Right!" Harley said, clasping onto Sam's wrist and tugging him behind a large fallen tree. Sam began to pant harshly, almost to the point where he was hyperventilating, as the two watched as Optimus take on now 3 Decepticons all at once. He managed to kill 1 before the other two had wrenched him away. Harley didn't see most of the fight on account of Sam pulling her back behind the trunk of the tree before she could see anything big happen but she did feel Megatron as his alt. form ripped through the air, creating a loud sonic boom. Sam covered his ears from the sound, whispering to himself as Harley pressed her back to the cool wood of the tree trunk, trying to make herself smaller so Megatron wouldn't notice her. She peeked out from between the roots of the tree and gasped when she saw Optimus captured, each of his arms in pinned in a Decepticon's grasp while Megatron stood in front of him. She could barely hear what Starscream was saying but she saw Optimus' optics widen before Megatron swung around.

"Pet!" He roared, scanning the area. Harley hid further behind the trunk but still peered around it, "Where are you! I can smell you!"

"Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Oh, my god!" Sam began to wheeze, "We're gonna die! We're gonna die! Holy shit!"

They both squeaked when Megatron smashed the trunk they hid behind and darted from it. Megatron chuckled and swung the trunk to the side, practically flicking it, and crept closer to Harley. His finger came out and brushed a few strands of hair from her face. His touch was nothing compared to Optimus'. It was cold and held no affection in it. She ended up flinching away from him. Megatron tilted his head to the side, looking at her curiously.

"Oh? What's this? My pet not wanting her master's touch?" Harley couldn't look at him so she ended up glaring at the ground. Megatron chuckled, standing back up to his normal height, "My pet has betrayed me. My most loyal follower has decided she wanted to follow her own will and has strayed from me. This is the first time my pet has made an unwise decision. This is the first time that she needs to learn her place."

Harley glanced up at Megatron with a questioning look, seeing the doctor on his shoulder. Megatron chuckled quite darkly and looked at the doctor on his shoulder.

"Mazta Megatron," The doctor began, his voice thickly accented. Harley never liked the small doctor, preferring Splice over whatever the little doctor's name was. She never bothered to learn it. He just creeped her out too much, "Lets me show you how advanzed da viruss haz evolved."

"Virus?" Harley asked, facing Megatron head-on, "What do you mean by 'virus'?"

"Let us show you," Megatron smirked and the doctor pressed a button on a tiny remote. An electric shock went through Harley before she collapsed to her knees, her head in her hands as her mind literally imploded behind her eyes. Closing them tightly, sparks flew behind her eyelids as her brain felt like it was splitting apart. Her fingers clawed at her short hair as a few tears escaped her eyes. The pain in her mind and her body was indescribable. She felt like her body was being electrocuted and torn apart while eating itself slowly. Each of her nerves were on fire and her bones felt like they were about to break all at once. She vaguely heard screams before she realized it was her that was screaming. She couldn't help it, it hurt like hell!

"Harley? Are you okay?" She barely heard Sam's voice and when he touched her, her screams went up an octave. Where he touched her felt like was on fire.

_Literally._

It felt like flames were charring her skin and making them blister to have the blisters pop and peel off. It felt like her mind was beginning to melt and ooze out of her ears. It felt like it hurt like a son of a bitch.

"Please!" She choked, still clasping her head furiously, "Please make it stop!"

"Please, Megatron," She could hear Optimus' voice loud and clear. He sounded terribly worried and about ready to murder someone at the same time. His voice soothed the pain a bit but it was when she heard Megatron ask the doctor to quit did the pain finally subside. She began to pant heavily, her hands on the ground to support her, and she looked up at Megatron with a bewildered look.

"What the hell was that? ! What did you to me? !" She screamed at him.

"A little obedience tool to make sure you'll never betray me," Megatron shrugged, smirking a bit.

"That's a bit extreme, don't ya think?" Harley retorted, regaining her breath and getting to her feet. Looking up at Megatron, she narrowed her eyes, "You better fix this, Megatron, or so help me I'll-"

"You'll do what?" Megatron sneered, crouching down and looking at her eye level, "Trust me, pet, you can't do anything-"

Harley reached up and grabbed ahold of one of his optics and yanked back, pulling it completely out. Megatron howled in pain, clasping onto the right side of his face.

"You wench!" He screamed, slamming a hand on the ground dangerously close to Harley. She didn't move an inch. Something in her snapped when the pain finally stopped. She was like Decepticon Harley again. Her attitude seemed to shift back into the hardened state it was when she first left the Decepticons. Optimus flinched when he saw how close Megatron's hand was to crushing Harley.

"Says you," Harley smirked, the optic sparking in her hand, "That felt good. Real good. I like revenge."

"Looks like my pet is starting to resurface," Megatron chuckled, still holding his open optic socket. The smirk on Harley's face slowly disappeared into a deep scowl.

"I'm no longer your pet, Megatron. You no longer own nor control me," She growled, "Now _leave_."

"Not a chance," His hand went to grab her just as she saw Optimus wrench out of the two Decepticons' grasp and launch himself at Megatron. Diving back, Harley grabbed Sam by his shirt and they both dove for another downed tree and hid. Harley was too afraid to peer around the tree this time, clutching the optic in her hand so hard her arm began to shake. She looked over at Sam, who had half his body sticking out to watch the fight.

"C'mon Optimus," She heard him chant quietly, "Kick his ass!"

"You can do it, Optimus," Harley said to herself, grasping the optic and holding it close. With each thud and groan, she flinched. With each time the earth shook, she whimpered. She finally gathered enough courage to peer around the tree. She wished she hadn't.

"No, no, no!" Sam began to yell. She saw Megatron and Optimus tussling, and Optimus was losing. Megatron threw Optimus and Harley shrieked, running towards another downed tree in the opposite direction of Sam.

"Optimus!" Harley yelled, looking at him from behind a wide tree, "Get up! Please!"

He groaned and rolled to the side but Megatron pressed a foot to his chest, his blade unsheathed and raised high above his head.

"No!" Harley screamed but it was too late. Megatron brought the blade down, straight into Optimus' Spark Chamber. Harley jerked back, watching Optimus with wide eyes. Something in her felt dislodged, disconnected in her chest. Optimus looked over at her, an arm outreached but never touching her.

"Never forget, Harley," He said quietly, his voice and optics dimming, "Never forget who you are..."

The light in his optics finally faded and Harley felt a sharp pain in her chest. Like her heart had been stabbed repeatedly and then twisted around the knife. It felt like time had slowed down to the beating of her own heart, which sounded like a waterfall in her ears. She just sat there and stared at Optimus' body. She barely felt the tug on her arm done by Sam nor her feet taking her towards Bee. Harley climbed into the back, staring out the open window with a blank look. There were two other people in the car with her and Sam. A guy with unruly curly black hair and tanned skin and a pretty girl with vibrant green eyes. From the pictures her uncle showed her, the girl was Mikaela and Sam's girlfriend.

"Yo, dude, who's she?" The tan guy asked Sam, who was in the passengers seat. He had a Latino accent and his voice was up quite loud for Harley's tastes.

"Bee? Could... Could you take me to someone, anyone, that could take me home?" Harley asked Bee quietly. She heard him chirp and slow down.

"Bee? What're you doing? We have to go!" She heard Sam talk to the radio and Harley looked out the window, seeing a bright yellow Lamborghini pull up. She yanked at her seatbelt and Bee opened the door for her. Harley ran up to Sides, tripping over herself once or twice, and ran straight into his holoform's arms. He supported her as they walked to the car and helped her in. His holoform appeared in the driver's seat and the two pulled away.

"Sides? It hurts..." Harley said quietly, clutching her clothing where her heart was. Sides looked over and gave her a sympathetic look.

"I know, Harley. It hurts a lot when you lose a Spark Mate."

"What?" Harley looked at him, not believing what he just said, "Do you think me and Optimus were... Spark Mates?"

"I don't think so, I know so," Sides said, completely serious as he pulled onto the highway driving out of New York. Harley saw the rest of the Autobots follow with the exception of Bee (with Skids and Mudflap) and Ironhide. Sides sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair, "Even though you're human and don't have a Spark, the way you're reacting to Optimus' death and the way he was talking to Ratchet the other day, Ratchet was certain that somehow you two were Spark Mates. We don't know why or how, all we know is that you two were. Didn't you feel something when Optimus died?"

"Yeah, it felt like my heart died with him. It... it was like a – a sharp pain right where my heart was. It's hard for me to breathe," Harley said, now noticing the tightening in her chest. It felt like a vice grip on her lungs and it hurt each time she took a breath.

"Don't worry. I promise it'll get better," Sides said, placing a hand on hers.

"I hope so," Harley said quietly, looking out the window and watching the scenery pass by in a fast blur.

'_I really hope so..._' She thought to herself before she lied her head on Sides' passengers seat and allowed her eyes to slide close. Harley sat in the fetal position for a while before finally allowing her body to sleep.

Not that she got much.

* * *

><p><strong>an: dun dun DUUUUN! ! !**

**alice: you love doin that, dont ya?**

**me: mhmm ^w^**

**alice: ... you're weird. ANYWAYS!**

**What do you think is gonna happen next?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


	15. Better

**a/n: hey guys! long time no talk! my apologies, i had run into a solid brick wall of writers block -.-**

**alice: yeah ever since she had written that newer chapter for 'bee sting', it just stopped her**

**me: sorry ^^;; anyways, onto the new chapter! oh, and sorry if it's a wee bit short ^^;;**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 15: Better<span>

"C'mon, Harley, you gotta eat!" Sides held out a banana in front of her. Harley chewed on her bottom lip, the banana looking actually disgusting to her right now. They had been on the road for the past 4 days and she had drank about 3 bottles of water but that's all. No food and no other drinks. She just didn't feel the need to eat. Half the time Harley was asleep, she was haunted by the visions of Optimus' death. It never seemed to leave her.

Sighing, Harley grabbed the banana and peeled it, taking a bite and her face twisted into a disgusted look, "I'm sorry, Sides."

"It's cool," He sighed as well, running a hand through his blonde hair. They were reaching Diego Garcia in half the time it took Harley and Optimus (then again, Sides and them decided they wanted to drive _nonstop_ whereas Optimus stopped frequently along the trip. That and they decided they wanted to speed the whole way). Harley sucked in a breath, just thinking of his name made her chest clench tightly. She felt out-of-body, like she was flying high above the clouds but her body stayed grounded. Her mind was constantly swimming and her body felt like it was lead.

"Sides, I'm..." Harley started, tears welling up in her eyes again. She wiped at her eyes furiously. She _refused _to cry. Some old Decepticon habits don't seem to disappear. Taking in a shaky breath, Harley whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Sides said, just as quiet, "I know it's killing you inside. I know it's eating at you. I know it hurts. Don't be sorry for anything you can't help. I know it'll hurt the most when we make it back to Diego Garcia. Just... lay back and try to get some sleep?"

"Right," Harley laughed bitterly but turned onto her right side, away from Sides, and pressed her cheek into the seat's leather. She'd been slightly insomniatic since Optimus died, so she was a bit surprised when she felt her body shutting down for sleep.

'_Or maybe my body is getting ready to die. Why not? I feel as though I already am..._' Harley thought to herself bitterly, smirking softly as she drifted to a finally dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>"Harley, wake up. We're here," Harley felt something jar her shoulder and her eyes flew open. Stretching, she raised her seat and saw that Sides had driven into the military base. Chewing on her lower lip, she saw him drive towards the middle of the base, rolling to a stop and allowing her to climb out. Upon seeing Lia, Harley walked straight up to her and hugged her hard.<p>

"I'm so sorry, Dino," Lia whispered into her hair as she felt Harley grip her harder and her shoulder became wet as Harley collapsed into sobs. Lia looked up and saw Hannah walk up, her eyes showing concern and sympathy. Lia forgot for a moment that Hannah was her enemy and allowed her to hug Harley just as tight as she was. The three sank to the ground, Harley in the middle of the huddle. Her shoulders shook violently and both Lia and Hannah flinched each time her breath was interrupted with a choking cry or another sob. Lia ran her hands through Harley's short hair while Hannah rubbed her back soothingly. Greg walked up behind them, tears in his eyes when he saw how bad Harley was. Her skin was paler than the usual glow she had and she had dark bags under her eyes.

"She didn't eat at all and barely drank anything," Sides walked up to them, a scowl scrawled on his face, "I... I just felt so helpless. It hurt me to see her in so much pain."

"I know. It's hard to see your close friend in so much pain," Greg said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It must be hurting you more."

"It is," Greg said as they both looked over at Lennox, who called everyone to attention. Sides' holoform disappeared as Greg looked over at Harley who had lift her head. Her eyes were red and puffy, her usually vibrant violet eyes now fading into a duller gray-ish color. He saw two military helicopters flying in with Optimus' body attatched to two cords. Then they both just... dropped him. Just dropped him on the ground. He looked away, some dust and debris flying into his face. They had dropped him quite close to him and the girls

"Show some god damned respect for him, you lowlifes," He heard Harley growl, her hands turning to fists. He sighed and saw the Autobots walking up around them.

"Why don't we just leave this planet, Ironhide?" He heard Ratchet ask the charcoal bot. Harley looked up at them, her tears still flowing but her sobs had stopped and she began to sniffle.

"It's not what Optimus would want," Ironhide said with a sigh. Suddenly, they were surrounded by several military vehicles, their guns loaded and pointed towards the Autobots.

"What the hell?" Greg hiss, turning sharply and seeing Lennox stalk up and banging on one of the vehicles.

"You dare point your weapons at _us_?" Ironhide growled, loading his own blaster cannons.

"Lower your weapons!" Lennox shouted several times. Greg couldn't move. He felt like his body was like lead. Harley stood up, shakily and with the support of Lia and Hannah, but she got to her feet nevertheless.

"Please," She croaked. Her voice was drowned out when Lennox began to yell at Galloway, the director of the NEST base.

"Get that piece of junk out of here," Harley heard him growl and she couldn't help her own. She stalked up to Galloway and grabbed him by the front of the tuxedo jacket he wore.

"Optimus is _not _a piece of junk," She hissed at him, "He was the most wonderful thing that could've ever happened to this planet. He helped saved this planet and you have the _audacity _to sit there and call him a piece of junk. He is not. Now that he's dead, show some respect."

She shoved him back on 'respect' and stalked over to her uncle, who looked shocked but amused.

"Get her off this base," Harley heard Galloway say to Lennox, "I want her _off _this base!"

"No problem," Harley said over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes at him before following the Autobots, who had all transformed back into their car forms and began rolling towards one of the airplanes. She walked up to Sides, who had slowed down enough for her to walk with him, "Is it cool for me to tag along?"

"By all means," She heard Sides say and she nodded, keeping pace with them, "You need a ride?"

"I'd prefer walking, thank you," She said briskly, still fuming about Galloway's comment. They continued to walk, following the Autobots until they had to be put on gurney-like vehicles and chained down. She looked over at her uncle and raised an eyebrow, "Is this all necessary?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Look, Harley, I'm really sorry."

"For what?"

"For his death," Harley stopped at this and looked at her uncle with a slight smile.

"It's not your fault. If anything, I feel the guiltiest. He was protecting me and I could've done something, _anything_..." She trailed off, feeling the tears beginning to bubble up in the back of her throat again. Her uncle slung his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close to his side. She sniffled and put her head on his shoulder, feeling her heart clench once again as she saw the body of Optimus being rolled towards one of the airplanes.

"Don't guilt yourself. Optimus was protecting you not because he had to but because he _wanted _to. He needed to make sure you were safe and he put that as a top priority above everything, including his own safety."

"And now he's dead," She said bitterly. She heard her uncle sigh and rub her upper arm.

"Yeah. Don't worry, everything will get better," He said as they stepped onto the plane. Harley nodded solemly.

"I sure hope so."

* * *

><p>She had somehow dozed off in the middle of the flight, her head on her uncle's shoulder and Lia and Hannah both at her legs. She knew that they were concerned for her but she didn't feel like reassuring them at the moment. The jarring of the plane awoke Harley from a dead sleep and she saw that the rest of the plane was asleep. A few soldiers were up and bustling but the rest were dead to the world.<p>

She managed to untangle herself from the three people and decided to wander. Harley's mind wandered to insignificant things while her feet took her to the body of Optimus. She stopped by his helm and placed a hand on it, a few tears squeezing from her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I couldn't do anything," She whispered to him.

"You couldn't have done anything about it, Harley," Harley whirled around and saw the Doctor leaning against the platform behind Optimus.

"I know... You're a robot, too, huh?" She said, crossing her arms.

"Yes. I'm sorry for lying to you," The Doc ran a hand through his wavy hair. Harley gave him a bittersweet smile, shrugging one shoulder.

"It's okay. You kinda had to. I don't really care, though," The two were silent after that. Harley had hauled herself to sit on the platform that Optimus had laid on. She leaned against his arm, more tears bubbling up in the back of her throat. Swallowing them, she saw the Doc walking over to her. He looked up at her once he reached her, a hand on her knee, "Sides said something... He said me and Optimus were Spark Mates. How is that possible?"

"I'm not sure," The Doc sighed, running his hand through his wavy hair again, "But the way he talked about you, how he felt the connection with you and the over-protectiveness that only a Spark Mate could possess, I had a hunch."

"But I'm _human_."

"That's the kicker. How could a human and an Autobot be Spark Mates?" Ratchet said, more to himself than to Harley, "When Optimus described how he felt when he was around you, the pulling in his chest to be near you, to always know you were safe, it was something I had never heard before. I know for sure that you two are somehow Spark Mates, but I think that there may be something more to it."

"Doc?"

"I'm sorry, Harley. I'm just rambling, aren't I?"

"No, I'm just pondering whether or not you're going to cut the circulation off in my leg," Harley chuckled when she saw the Doc practically leap from her. Rotating her ankle, Harley hissed when she felt the near painful rush of blood that returned to her calf.

"Sorry, Harley."

"S'okay. You just have a grip on you. Guess you all have it."

"Hmm?"

"Nothin'," Harley said quietly, ducking her head to shroud her embarassed blush. She wasn't too keen on her and Optimus' personal lives on blast so she shut her mouth quickly. The Doc just gave her an odd look but shook his head.

"Well, I guess we all should get some rest, huh?"

"Yeah..." Harley chewed on her lower lip. Ratchet gave her a sympathetic smile before returning to the gurney he was on before. It held a Yellow Medical Hummer with med decals littering the surface. She watched him for a moment, "'S that yours?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," The Doc turned with a small smile, "Fits me, huh? Well, night."

"Night."

He smiled again before disappearing. Harley turned her head so she could stare at her shoes. She didn't know how long she was staring at them but it was apparently for a while seeing as the airplane was beginning to wake and she had a crick in her neck. Harley lifted her head, rotating it left and right until she heard a satisfying _crack_. The crack brought back a memory from when she and Optimus were driving to New York.

'_Stop that!_' She silently reprimanded herself, glaring at her thighs in deep thought, '_I can't keep moping around! Yes_, _Optimus is dead but that doesn't mean I have to be!_"

"Harley?" Her head whipped up to see her uncle walking up, "You okay?"

"Yeah," She said with a small, but genuine, smile. Her uncle looked somewhat relieved.

"Good. Feeling better?"

"Much."

"Good. Mind getting off him?" Her uncle laughed and Harley all but rolled her eyes with a crooked smile.

"Shut up, Kuya," She said as she hopped off the gurney, punching her uncle in the shoulder.

"Ow, you got some muscles there!" Her uncle joked but rubbed his shoulder. Harley chuckled softly, feeling slightly better than she had in the past few days. There was still a huge gaping hole where her heart was but it didn't feel like there was a vice around her lungs or that she would collapse in tears any more to her relief. She walked with her uncle and realized that they were landing.

"Why are we landing?"

"We got a call," Was all her uncle said as one of the crew ran up to him.

"General Pewitt? You're needed in the main conference room immediately," She said, her eyes widening when she saw Harley, "I-I'm sorry, d-did I interrupt something?"

"Don't worry, Alaine," Her uncle smiled, placing a hand on the small girl's shoulder. She was pretty, kind of short, though. Shorter than Harley, she had lightly tanned skin and wide blue eyes. Her hair was a deep chocolatey brown and was pulled up in a tight bun, "She won't hurt you."

"It's not me I'm worried about," Alaine said, eyes flickering over to Greg and Harley could see them soften immensly. Raising an eyebrow, Harley's face quirked into a smile.

"A-anyways," Her uncle stuttered slightly when Harley coughed, seeing the two stare at each other for a little too long, "Tell them I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay," Alaine smiled warmly before turning and walking off. Harley walked up so that she was beside her uncle and nudged him in the ribs.

"What?" He almost snapped.

"You like her."

"Who? Alaine? Pfft, right," Her uncle said. Harley rolled her eyes and pinched his arm, "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"For lying to me. Now git!" She smirked when she hit him in the butt with her foot and he gave her a glare. She watched him as he walked off and shook her head. Sometimes her uncle was just too oblivious.

"Harley?" Harley turned to see Lia standing there, sleep in her eyes as she rubbed one, "You okay, Dino?"

"Yeah, Pix," Harley smiled warmly, "I'm... better than I was for the past few days."

"Good. Now come with me and Hannah so we can actually sleep on a damn bed!" Lia yawned largely and Harley laughed, nodding. She linked arms with Lia and they slowly made their way to the second level to the airplane they were on. It was a large airplane, the first level was more like an airplane with seats for the military men for long traveling and a few rooms for higher ups. The second level was more like a garage and weapons rooms, all walls filled with all types of firearms, grenades, knives, and the sorts. Lia dragged Harley up the stairs and they walked towards the rooms.

"Do you know why Hannah hated us so much?" Harley asked quietly and Lia stopped, looking up at her with much more awareness.

"No. I just thought she never really liked us," Lia gave a one shoulder shrug.

"I stole you," Harley said bluntly.

"Huh?" Lia laughed, her laugh sounding a bit like a wind chime, "Harley, have you gone mad?"

"Perhaps but now I'm perfectly sane. You don't even remember that you and Hannah were the best of friends. When I came along, we just kinda stuck together and you dropped Hannah like she was the plague. From then on, she always tried to out do me. I dunno why, but I feel kinda guilty..."

"Don't be," The girls' heads whirled to see Hannah standing in the doorway of one of the rooms, leaning against the frame, "I guess I was just jealous... I'm over it now, though. Can we call a truce?"

Lia looked at Hannah skeptically and then looked at Harley, who in turn gave her a reassuring smile. Lia finally smiled and looked at Hannah, who looked like she was relieved. Both Harley and Lia walked up to her, pinkies up.

"Truce," They both said with a smile. Hannah smiled widely and linked their pinkies with her.

"This symbolizes that we will never hurt each other, intentional or not. It says that we'll help each other for whatever reason, even if it is getting something so stupid like ice-cream at 4 in the morning. It says that we'll be sisters if not by blood but by heart. Hannah, welcome to our sisterhood," Harley smiled. Hannah returned it and hugged the two tightly.

"I'm sorry for all the nasty things I've done to you," She whispered to them. They hugged her and pulled away, smiling.

"It's okay. We're just as sorry," Lia said sincerely. The three all smiled until Harley yawned rather largely. Both Lia and Hannah chuckled, both grabbing a wrist and dragging her into the room. In the middle was a large King-sized bed with a bedside table on each side, both had lamps and digital clocks. A trunk sat at the foot of the bed and a flat screen on the right wall. There was a door to the bathroom on the left side of the bed and windows that showed the clouds next to the door. Harley climbed up on the bed, burying her head into the pile of down feather pillows. The bed was already turned down to show the pristine white sheets and she smiled when she felt the bed depress on both sides, feeling that Lia and Hannah lied down next to her. She felt Lia snuggling up to her, knowing in the back of her mind that Lia snuggled with anyone. It seemed like Hannah does the same thing since she repeated the action on Harley's opposite side. It didn't bother Harley much since Lia did it so much when they were little. Smiling softly, Harley finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Harley woke up several hours later, looking out the window and seeing the sun was still in the sky. Furrowing her brows, she looked at the bedside clock: 7:50.<p>

"_But I thought we went to bed at 9?_' Harley thought to herself. Jarring Lia, who was currently sprawled across the bottom of the bed and on her and Hannah's feet, she saw Lia's eyes flying open.

"Yeah, Dino?" She yawned, rubbing an eye.

"Didn't we go to bed at 9?"

"Yeah?"

"Then why does the clock say it's 7:50?"

"What?" Lia sat up and looked at the clock. Her eyes widened before looking at Harley, "Don't tell me..."

"I think we did," Harley groaned, letting her forehead hit her palms.

"We did what?" She heard Hannah groan as the blonde sat up.

"We slept the day away, _literally_," Harley sighed, lifting her head.

"What?" Hannah said, quite shocked. After they all had made the truce, she seemed much more at ease around them. Like she didn't have to put on the fake blonde bimbo act and could be the girl Lia knew since they were little.

"We went to bed at 9 in the morning and unless the clocks went backwards, it's now 7:52."

"Wow," Was all Hannah could say. They were quiet until someone knocked on their door.

"It's open," Lia said, crawling up to sit on Harley's right side. Alaine poked her head in.

"Hey, Alaine," Harley smiled. Alaine returned it with a small one before walking in completely.

"You girls were really tired. You slept an entire day!" Alaine chuckled softly, leaning against the wall behind her, "But your uncle told me to leave you girls alone. I just came in here to let you girls know that we'll be stopping for a pit stop."

"Okay, thanks Alaine," Harley smiled again and Alaine nodded, walking out the door. The three girls stretched and rolled out of bed. The walked out and as soon as they walked out of the room and into the hallway, they linked their arms together. Giggling and talking about nothing, the three girls walked down the corridor before Lia realized something.

"Where is everyone?"

Both girls turned and looked at the smallest girl (who was on Harley's left) and then looked at each other.

"I'unno," Harley shrugged, beginning to walk towards the kitchen. The airplane was eerily quiet and the three began to get antsy.

"Hey ladies," The three whirled around to see one of the co-captains, Mason, say with a smile. He was around 35 with pitch black hair that was left a little longer than buzzed. His brown eyes were coupled with light, butterscotch-coloured skin.

"Hey Mason," The three said at the same time.

"We're just about to land, 'Kay?"

"Okay," Lia smiled, sitting on the marble counter of the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"Where's everyone?" Hannah asked, sipping a bottle of water she had retrieved from the sterling silver refridgerator.

"Oh, they got a call. There's a kid, Witwicky I think," Mason walked up to the island, clad in his usual navy blue dress pants and blue blazer with black shoes, and leaned against it, "Anyways, he called and said that he might have a way to revive Optimus."

Harley immediately froze, her fingers curling on the marble surface and a spark of hope coursed through her veins.

"I swear, if you're joking, so help me-" She started, turning her eyes towards the co-captain. He had a wide smile on his face and shook his head.

"I'm not. The kid found something, something that was powerful enough to revive him, and they deployed Optimus," Both Lia and Hannah had smiles stretching wide over their faces. Harley just looked at him, a bit shellshocked with the new information. Before she realized it, she had tackled Mason to the ground, crushing him in a hug, "Woah!"

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!" She said, squeezing him tightly before climbing off. She held out a hand to help him up, "Heh, sorry, I'm just a bit-"

"You missed him."

"You could say that."

"Well, we're landing in a minute or so so please sit down and put on your seatbelts, 'kay?" Mason said, picking up his captain hat that flew off when Harley tackled him, dusted it, and put it back on. The girls all nodded, unable to wipe the smiles off their faces. They quickly walked to the coach of the airplane, sat down in one of the plush chairs each, and strapped in. They chatted animatedly while the plane was making it's descent. Harley couldn't help the hum of happiness that coursed through her body.

"Soo... whatcha gonna do when Optimus comes back?" Lia smirked, waggling her eyebrows. Harley rolled her eyes, smacking her friend's elbow with a light blush.

"Like I'm gonna tell you."

"I bet you're gonna drag him to his room... or wherever they sleep, and do things that only God knows about," Hannah gave her a naughty look and Harley burst into a full-out, red-as-a-tomato, turn-your-ears-red blush. Hannah narrowed her eyes playfully, "I know that knowing look."

"What?" Lia asked, looking over Harley. She looked back up at Hannah when she gasped.

"No!"

"What?"

"Tell me, Harley, how was it?" Harley's eyes widened to the size of saucers and her face turned redder (if possible) as she hit Hannah lightly.

"Shut up! !"

"How was wha- _oooooh_," Lia got an evil look in her eye when she realized what Hannah was talking about.

"No!" Harley wailed and she felt the airplane jerk to a stop. Yanking on her seatbelt, she finally unclasped it and tried running away from the girls. They laughed as they chased her down the stairs and towards the door. Harley looked behind her and laughed as well, feeling as happy as she was before the fight between Optimus and Megatron. Once she was out the door, she came to an abrupt stop.

"Oof!" Hannah ran straight into Harley, Lia trailing behind. Both looked at her oddly.

"Harley?" Lia started.

"What's wrong?" Hannah finished, waving a hand in front of her face. Harley pointed towards the based and swallowed thickly.

"My time's up."

* * *

><p><strong>an: dun dun dun! xD**

**alice: you do that _waaay _too much :P**

**me: eh xD maybe**

**What do you think Harley saw?**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D**


	16. Authors Note!

**Hey hey hey! Long time no see, eh? Sorry 'bout that, guys. Every time I say I'm gonna come back, shit goes down and I'm unable to write, let alone upload.**

**Anywho, I do intend on finishing this story. I just saw Transformers 4 (holy fuck was it awesome I really do recommend everyone to go see it) and I have big plans for this story.**

**So on top of planning to write when I can, I'm actually planning on moving! It seems like not a lot of people come onto anymore. So I'm gonna set up an AO3 within the next few days. Not to say that I won't be uploading on here. I'll just be on that site a lot more! **

**I will post another "chapter" to alert you guys when the big move is happening. Till then, arrivederci and I miss you all! I really am so sorry for the big leave but hey, better late than never, huh? ;b**

**Much love,**

**Mims**


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